Brodi's Big Scare
by bookwtchery
Summary: Brodi hits a wall. Literally...a rock wall. Will the Ice Queen melt and will she let anyone else know? ; how will the others react to a seriously injured companion? And seriously, does he NEED that many drugs? Reviews more than welcome.
1. Waking Up

"Brodi?"  
Brodi Ford was not a man prone to panic. Years of Buddhist training on top of his already calm inner nature practically ensured that panic was not a word in his vocabulary. Still, waking up to what felt like a drill cutting through his crown chakra left him feeling pretty panicked, especially when he tried to move and his body responded as though it were weighted with lead.

He heard footsteps hurrying towards him and recognized the sound of his own name, but he seemed momentarily unable to remember how to open his own eyes. It was a hand in his, a soft touch to his cheek, and a light kiss to his forehead that pulled him back from the brink of total blind panic and reminded him to breathe. Breathe, just breathe, he could remember how to breathe, couldn't he? But breathing shouldn't hurt, and right now his lungs felt like they were on fire.

"Brodi." There was that voice again, that angelic voice that was keeping him from losing his mind altogether. "Just try to relax, honey. I know you feel like hell, but you're safe and we're taking care of you, OK?"

That voice…he knew that voice, but he couldn't concentrate enough to bring a name to mind. His eyes still wouldn't open, and there was an uncomfortable pressure on his face. It was all combining to add to the panic that he felt welling up inside him again.

"Just breathe, baby." The disembodied voice urged. "Slow down…you need to slow your breathing down. Slow, deep breaths, as deep as you can manage. I know it hurts. We're going to take care of that."

A silence followed, and he fought off the panic again. Slow, deep breaths, he reminded himself. Well, the mystery voice was right about one thing…deep breathing hurt like hell, to the point of being damned near impossible. But no, don't think about that. Breathe…just breathe…

"That's it. That's it. Keep it up. Your nurse stepped out to get the doctor back in here. You're going to be fine."

Nurse? Doctor? Brodi was struggling to grasp onto words, to identify the voice he was hearing, but the focus just wasn't there. He tried to sit up but found that he couldn't move his body any easier than he could open his eyes at the moment. It took all his effort to move his hand a couple of inches, and even that effort was foiled when someone grasped his hand and pulled it back down by his side.

"No, Brodi. Don't try to move. I'll explain everything, but you need to lie as still as possible. You had a bad wipeout, sweetheart. You've just come out of surgery, and you're going to be OK." There was a pause, then a squeeze of his hand. "I need you to understand that. You're going to be OK."

He grasped onto the 'OK' as if it were a lifeline. He was OK, he was going to be OK. So was he really OK, or was someone just trying to keep him calm?

Suddenly his eyes flew open on their own as a wave of pain hit him, literally knocking the breath from him as if that wasn't difficult enough to keep going anyway. He arched his back against the pain, coming a couple of inches up off the bed as a coughing spasm tore through his already overtaxed body. He gripped the sheets, gripped the hand he was holding, tried to hold on to the voice that was trying to soothe him. It was almost working, then all rational thought left him as another wave of pain overwhelmed him before he'd even fully recovered from the first one. He was coughing violently and gasping for breath, yet over that he could hear his angel's voice yelling for help. He heard more footsteps running towards them, then a new voice saying, "Yeah, give him more." Then there was a burning followed by a chill in his arm, and then blissfully nothing.


	2. Out Again

Elise didn't think at this point that Brodi heard her, but she kept talking to him. It kept her mind off of things like, what was taking so long? He'd just had surgery, shouldn't someone be keeping a closer eye on him?

Just when she was about to cause a scene, the nurse returned. She didn't look up, wanting to keep her attention on Brodi. All she cared about was her friend; she had no time for small talk. Besides, shouldn't it be obvious that he needed attention? He was in excruciating pain, and the coughing spasms were terrifying her.

"He's in a lot of pain," she said between whispered words as she desperately tried to calm him. "Can't you give him something?"

"Of course. As soon as the doctor…"

"Yeah, he needs more. Do it."

Elise looked up gratefully at the doctor, who had apparently walked in before the nurse finished her sentence. Lucky for the nurse, Elise thought, because she was about to meet Elise Riggs in full fury. Of course, it would do Brodi no good if she were to get banned from the hospital before her friend even became lucid enough to figure out where he was. As it stood at the moment, she could only pray that she could soothe him enough to keep him from pulling something loose or hurting himself further.

The nurse nodded to the doctor and prepared a dose of whatever painkiller cocktail they were feeding him. She then kicked his oxygen up another couple of notches then slowly fed the syringe into the port in his IV.

Brodi looked at Elise, but there was so much pain and confusion in his eyes that she doubted he saw her.

"I'm here," she whispered, blinking away a tear. "I'm right here." She gripped his hand with one of hers, and buried the other in his hair while she stroked his temple and whispered to him. "Just hang on. That should help some."

His coughing eased up, and she lifted the oxygen mask enough to wipe his mouth with a tissue. He was still clutching at her hand, and still looking at her with a confusion that really tore at her heart. She kept whispering and making soothing noises, unsure what else to do. Finally the narcotics took their effect on him, and his grip on her hand relaxed and he was out again. Only then did Elise allow herself to be pushed out of the way by the doctor, who moved in to check his patient.

Elise watched as the doctor listened to Brodi's heart and breathing, then move on to check the dressing and the machines.

"He's not bleeding," he said, "and nothing appears to be loose." He followed the tubing from the incision in Brodi's side to the machine attached bedside. "His lungs sound good, and his heart rate is stable. Is his room on the post-surgery unit ready?"

"Yes, doctor."

"Go ahead and move him while he's out cold. No need to put him through the pain of moving him if we don't have to."

"Right away."

As the nurse left to make logistics arrangements for moving him, the doctor turned to Elise, who had collapsed into a chair.

"Miss Riggs?"

She looked up at him and nodded numbly.

"Yes?"

"You have durable power of attorney for him?"

Elise stood, sensing she might be in for a fight.

"Yes. I can receive information and make decisions if he's incapacitated. Dr…." She looked at him pointedly as she hesitated.

"Oh, Dr. Adams." He held out his hand and she shook it. "He's probably going to be out for a while. You should go home and get some rest."

"Thank you, Dr. Adams," she said, looking him in the eyes, "I appreciate the concern. But at the moment, I'd rather stay with him."

The doctor shrugged. "Suit yourself. But he really is going to be fine. He did exceptionally well with the surgery. The fact that he's an athlete and in fantastic shape are in his favor. He really did do very well. He's going to be on heavy narcotics for a few days, so in all likelihood he won't even know you're here. Take care of yourself; let us take care of him."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm not leaving him. He's my best friend, and I'd rather be here whether he knows I'm here or not. Now, I'm going to go let our teammates know how he is, and then I'm going to join him in his room."

"I understand." he conceded, although Elise couldn't help but think that he looked annoyed. "I'm going to check on some other patients. Let me know if he needs anything. The nurses will page me."

Elise nodded to him as she followed him to the door. She didn't think she could stand watching him being moved, so she took note of his new room number then set off down the hall for the waiting room where her teammates were.


	3. He WokeSort Of

Six members of the team looked up expectantly as Elise entered the ER's waiting room. She guessed that after Brodi's accident the rest of the day's events had been cancelled. The officials would be checking the tracks for safety and reviewing the tapes of the race that had nearly ended Brodi Ford's life. She wondered briefly what spectators had been told, then pushed that thought out of her mind. They could have been told that aliens had attacked the mountain for all that she cared. She needed to keep her mind here, now.  
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where the group was sitting. There was a lot of tension in the room, not all of it due to worry about Brodi's condition. Allegra and Psymon sat as far away from each other as physically possible in the small room. Considering that they had both adopted the "I'm too cool (or in Psymon's case, too crazy) to care what's going on." slouch, Elise thought it funny that the two couldn't stand each other. Mac and Kaori sat huddled near, but not too near, Allegra. Kaori's eyes were red and puffy, and Mac was turning on the sensitivity as he draped an arm over Kaori in an attempt to comfort her. He showed no emotion on his face, but Elise noticed that his eyes seemed a little red too. She pretended not to notice...the egos of teenage boys were delicate, and a crisis was no time to be deflating it.  
Then there was Moby and Zoe. Moby, still in his racing gear minus the helmut, had leaned back casually in his chair, only a slight twitch of his foot giving away any hint of sentiment from him. He had one hand rested around Zoe's elbow, while Zoe leaned forward on the edge of her chair, hands clasped in front of her and one knee twitching wildly.  
"Is he..." Zoe began, but Moby stopped her with a squeeze of her arm.  
"Let her start where she needs to, luv."  
Elise took a deep breath.  
"He, ah...he came through the surgery just fine." Damn, her voice was shaking anyway. "He broke a couple of ribs, and one of them punctured a lung. That's why he was having such a hard time breathing."  
Elise heard Kaori gasp, but knowing that Mac was there to talk her down, she kept going. "The nurses let me sit with him while he was in the recovery unit. He woke up once, but he was in so much pain they had to put him right back out again."  
This time it was Psymon she heard as he let out a stream of curses. Elise imagined it was his own ghosts of hospitals past haunting him, but she still turned to him angrily. "He's in excruciating pain, Psymon. They need to keep him as still as possible for a couple of days to make sure he doesn't inadvertently hurt himself." She could have stopped there. She should have stopped there. But she was so worked up from the day's events that she had to continued. "Besides, I thought you enjoyed a little pain and suffering when it came to your teammates."  
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she shouldn't have said it. Psymon didn't connect with people often, but she knew that he liked Brodi and had developed a tentative friendship with him. Even Zoe threw her head back and groaned, knowing what it was going to trigger in Psymon. Then, everyone froze as Psymon stood abruptly and stalked towards Elise. Nervously she swallowed hard, but was determined to stand her ground with him. From the corner of her eye she saw Moby and Zoe start to move in case interference was needed, but Elise knew that if she had seen them, Psymon did too. Allegra and Mac looked ready to pounce as well, but they were kids...she couldn't risk them. Kaori looked like she was about to have a nervous fit. No, she had to face him down.  
He stopped a mere two inches from her face and sneered at her.  
"Look, Amazon. I know I'm crazy. Hell, I can be mean and downright nasty when I want to be. But I never, never, NEVER enjoy watching someone have a dance with the Grim Reaper. Are we clear?"  
"Crystal. Now get out of my face, Sketchy, or Brodi is going to have a roommate."  
There was a collective sigh of relief in the room as Psymon grinned at her and clapped her on the shoulder. "That's my girl." he said, then returned to his seat. She bristled a little, but that was a close enough call that she decided to let it go. She had to admit that she'd been a little concerned. She'd taken martial arts classes for years, but Psymon was crazy. Crazy people don't hold back when they're fighting. Elise wasn't sure if even she, Moby, and Zoe could take him if he truly snapped.  
"Now, I'm going back to Brodi. The nurses should have him settled into his room by now, and someone should be with him when he wakes up again. I'll put the word out when he's conscious and able to have visitors."  
She turned to leave, then turned back before she had taken even two steps towards the door. "Uhm, out of curiosity, what could be so important as to keep both Rahzel AND Atomika away when one of their boarders has had an injury serious enough to require surgery? Shouldn't at least ONE of them be here?"  
There was a tense silence, and everyone seemed to be looking at anything but her. Finally, Allegra ventured an answer.  
"I think they were seeing about getting Brodi's parents up here. Elise, the man didn't look good at ALL when he was being loaded into that medevac chopper. I mean, they were BAG-BREATHING him, for the love of..."  
Elise paled at Allegra's words as she simultaneously realized what Zoe's unfinished "Is he...?" had meant. Suddenly the adrenaline she had been pumping all day, from the second she learned the "boarder down" call had been in reference to Brodi, to the showdown with Psymon just moments before, went from overload to zip. At the same time all of the emotions she'd been keeping at bay for hours now came flooding back and hit her so hard she thought her head was going to explode. Brodi could have died. Her best friend...the man she loved, thought she loved, wasn't sure she loved but loved anyway, he could have died. The floor started moving, and she heard Moby yelling, "Oh, bloody hell, there she goes!" Psymon was rushing towards her again, and she felt one arm grapple her back as he lifted her before she could hit the floor. She was about to demand that he put her down, but all she could manage was to let her head flop over onto his shoulder. She thought she was going to be sick from the movement of the room, and then...nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bloody hell, there she goes!"

Moby watched the dawning of the realization hit Elise's face. She was hit with shock, then the blood drained from her face and she started going down.

Psymon was closest, so he started towards her with that demon speed he was known for. The bloke did manage to catch her, and it was a bloody odd sight, seeing someone as rough around the edges as Psymon holding this delicate princess-like creature in his arms. Indeed, he did look shocked.

"Well, crap, what the hell do I do with her now?"

"Way to sweep a lady off her feet, Psymon," Allegra blasted by him running for the nurse's station. "Find somewhere to put her down, you jerk!" she called over her shoulder. If he remembered that one on the slopes later that little one was in for it.

"Bring her over here, Psymon."

Zoe, taking charge as usual, had cleared a bench area, and Psymon carried Elise over and lowered her down slowly, as if he was suddenly afraid he might break her. Moby tossed his jacket at Zoe, and she placed it under Elise's head to cushion it.

"Give me something to elevate her legs with!" Zoe called out over her shoulder again. Mac and Kaori folded up their jackets and piled them up under her ankles. By then, though, Allegra had returned with a nurse in tow who immediately ran to Elise. Zoe backed out of the way to give her access.

"What's her name?" the nurse said.

"Elise"

"Elise, can you hear me?" the nurse called as she felt the unconscious woman's neck for a pulse. "Tell me what hurts."

"Mmmrm?" Elise started to roll over onto her side, but the nurse held her back. "Ow, my head."

Elise gasped and sat up suddenly, the nurse's hands unable to keep her down. "What happened? I need to get back to Brodi….he should be in his room by now."

"Mr. Ford is in his room and resting. You, however, need to get checked out. Let's take you to a room and…"

"Whoa whoa whoa….I'm fine. I just…it's been a stressful day. I got a little overtired. Probably a blood sugar thing."

The nurse looked at her quizzically. "Are you diabetic?"

Elise shook her head. "No. Just forget to eat sometimes."

"OK. Well, we're still going to take you to an exam room in the ER and get your vitals and do a finger stick."

Elise looked around at her teammates. Zoe, Moby, and Allegra were all looking at her sternly. Psymon had disappeared, and Mac was comforting Kaori, so at least she didn't have to sit with their judgement.

"Wait…I can refuse treatment, right?"

Zoe took a step forward, but Moby grabbed her shoulder. The nurse looked annoyed, but said, "Of course, although that isn't advisable."

"Your opinion is appreciated. If I feel worse, I'll let you know. But for right now I'm going on the assumption that I'm overtired, and I'm going to go sit with Brodi."

"Bloody HELL woman, are you DAFT? You'd have cracked your head open on the floor is Psymon hadn't moved so quickly. And do you really think Brodi is going to be impressed that you're endangering your health because of him?"

"Moby, shut it and get me some water. I'm FINE."

Moby wandered off muttering something about stupid gits, but returned fairly quickly with a bottled water and a candy bar out of the machines.

"Thanks." She said gratefully as he tossed them at her.

The nurse stood and readied herself to leave, but still looked concerned. "I wish you'd reconsider. It'll just take a few minutes."

Elise was taking a long sip of water, but held her hand up.

"OK, then. Stand up for me. If you can stand on your own and walk a few steps without any help, I can't make you do anything."

Elise stood on her own and walked about 3 feet and back to the nurse, who sighed in defeat.

"OK. Suit yourself. But if you start feeling worse, please let someone know. You won't be doing Mr. Ford any good if you wind up a patient here yourself."

Moby coughed loudly, which earned him a glare from Elise, but he just winked at her.

The nurse left, and all that was left for Elise to do was to stare down Zoe and Allegra.

"Damn it, Elise. Why couldn't you at least let her check you out. You went down like a brick."

"I said I'm FINE, Zoe. Now, don't you and Moby need to get these kids home? I'll keep you updated."

Allegra said nothing, just sulked in the corner. At least, Elise thought, spending some time hanging out with Brodi had taught the girl to hold her tongue. Well, OK, a LITTLE.

Zoe threw her hands in the air in defeat. "OK. Come on Moby, let's get these guys back to the lodge. We can go see Rahzel before heading for dinner."

Moby nodded. He squeezed Elise's shoulder has he walked past, but said nothing. Elise knew he had his own ghosts to deal with as well.

"Oh guys…call me at the hospital, not on the Mcomm. I'm turning it off…don't want it on in case it interferes with any machinery."

Zoe nodded.

Mac walked by with a shoulder punch and a "Take care, lady."

Kaori stopped in front of her with tears in her eyes. "Miss Elise…please take care of yourself."

"I'm fine, Kaori. I promise you. You think I want to get my butt handed to me by Brodi when he gets strong enough to do it?"

That at least got a smile out of her, and she went on, taking Mac's hand as she walked out.


	5. Chapter 5

.

For the second time that day Brodi had woken up in a panic. The first time hadn't been really clear…he just remembered pain, and someone holding his hand and talking to him…then a stinging in his arm and nothing. There were no clear memories.

This time he woke up in what he recognized this time as a drug fog. He was disoriented. He couldn't seem to open his eyes yet, and every inch of him felt like it was on fire. He felt like he was tied down, and somewhere in the back of his mind that was connecting with something VERY VERY BAD. He struggled to breathe, felt like he had a boulder on his chest. The panic was building…he had to take control before it got out of control. Then the door opening….

"Brodi! Calm down, sweetie, just calm down." He heard footsteps coming closer, and felt that hand again. His eyes still wouldn't open, which wasn't helping the panic situation. He felt a hand at his temple, and it felt soft and kind. There was no immediate danger coming from that hand. "Please, just calm down, honey. I'm here with you. You're OK."

Elise. That was Elise. If she was here, he had to be OK. He tried to reach a hand up, and it wouldn't go very far. He felt that soft hand clutch his and pull it back down to his side. There was a kiss at his temple.

"You're OK, babe. Can you open your eyes? No? OK, OK, OK…easy. That's all right. Don't worry about it. You're on some pretty heavy medication right now, honey, that's probably all this is. You're OK. You're safe. I'm with you and I'm not going to leave you."

Brodi did manage to open his eyes partially, but his vision was fuzzy and it made his headache worse. Elise brushed his hair off his forehead and kissed his temple again.

"I'll explain everything, sweetheart, but you have to calm down, OK? I need you to calm down and stay calm. If you get too anxious or move around too much you might get one of the machines disconnected or pull something loose. You have a concussion, but that's not too bad. You're on oxygen because you have a collapsed lung. Whoa, whoa…easy now. Remember calm? You had a bad wipeout. It got you the concussion and a couple of broken ribs. One of them punctured a lung. They're fixing it, though…that's why you have the chest tube. It's also why you have an IV with some pretty heavy narcotics and an antibiotic cocktail."

Elise rested her hand on the side of his head again, and Brodi leaned into it. "You're going to be OK, Surfer Boy. We're watching over you. Your only job is to rest and get better, do you understand me?"

Brodi nodded his understanding, then closed his eyes again and tried to count his breath to see if it would help him get back to sleep. If he was going to live a nightmare for a few days, he might as well sleep through as much of it as he could.


	6. Chapter 6

.

Brodi had nodded to indicate that he understood, but Elise wasn't sure. And she wasn't sure it was important, considering how many drugs were flowing through his body at the moment. Even if he understood her perfectly, she doubted he'd remember it next time he woke up. She had just wanted to talk to him. He seemed to visibly relax when she talked to him, so she just kept talking until he seemed to be falling asleep.

It was then that she sat down and fell asleep herself. She had just settled into a good relaxation when she was startled awake with a soft knock at the door.

"Elise?"

Elise stretched and yawned, then looked up. "Nate?" She looked over at Brodi, who seemed to still be sleeping. "What are you doing here?"

He knelt in front of her and opened up his medtech case. "I heard about earlier. I came to see if you were OK. Give me your arm."

Elise wasn't sure why she complied, but she held out her arm for him. "Who put you up to this? Damn it, I told Zoe and Moby I was OK."

"Well," he hesitated as he adjusted a blood pressure cuff to her arm. "It wasn't them, really. Yeah, they did tell me. But Rahzel and Atomika were also there, and they wanted me to check you out since you refused medical care. Never let anyone know you've had any kind of medical training, right?"

Elise chuckled and then winced as the cuff tightened. Then Nate started releasing the pressure and watched the gauge.

"142/87" he rattled off as it finished. "A little high, but not unexpected considering today's events. Plus I just surprised the hell out of you."

Nate began massaging Elise's hand for her, and she leaned back and began to relax when, "OW!"

Nate couldn't help but grin as he tipped a drop of blood onto a test strip that he had somehow shoved into a glucose meter under the radar. "Sorry, doll. I didn't think you'd let me do it."

She let him clean her finger off with an alcohol swab, then she jerked her hand away from him. "I wouldn't have. Jerk! Sheesh."

"Hey now. Let's play nice. HOLY CRAP girl, when did you last eat?"

Elise looked around, but of course there was no clock in the room. "Uhm, what time is it?"

"Just after 7."

"I, uhm, ate about 3:30. Well, sort of. Moby gave me a candy bar after I passed out."

"You ate a candy bar almost 4 hours ago, nothing since, and your blood sugar is 62. That's on the low side, my dear. Come on, you're coming with me. I'm going to get you some dinner."

"I'm not leaving Brodi. And why haven't you asked about him or so much as looked at him?"

"I got a full update. I checked on him before I woke you. And don't forget that I was first on scene. Besides, he's been stabilized and is being taken care of. It's YOU we need to keep out of the admitting office. You need to EAT, Princess. If I let you slip into a sugar coma, I'm not going to face even a peace-loving surf-crazed Buddhist if he's 6'4" and 204 lbs."

Elise had to smirk at that.

"So come on…I'm getting you a cheeseburger."

"A cheeseburger?"

"You'd prefer pizza? I can do that too. You need cheese, meat…lots of protein, lady. And you ARE going to eat something."

"I'm not…"

"Go…eat"

They both looked around, and Elise rushed to Brodi's side. His voice had been barely audible, and even at that had been muffled further by the oxygen mask, but he had definitely spoken.

"Hi, sweetie. Did we wake you? I'm sorry."

Brodi moved his head in one short 'no' motion, obviously still bothered by moving his head.

"Hey, dude. How ya feeling? That was quite a ride you took today. I think Rahzel and Atomika are probably still needing nitrogen tablets."

Brodi lifted his hand and made a "so-so" motion.

Nate nodded. "Hang in there, bud. Look, I'm gonna steal your girl for a bit if that's OK? I promise I'll bring her back."

Nate grinned as Brodi gave him the thumbs up signal.

"Brodi, I don't want to leave you."

"I'm….fine. You…eat."

She leaned in and kissed his forehead, giving his hand a final squeeze before Nate gripped her shoulders and guided her away from the bed. "Won't be long, pal. Promise."


	7. Chapter 7

.

Elise dutifuly ate two slices of pizza with Nate, although she kept checking her watch and her MComm.

"Will you RELAX? Christ, your blood sugar is going to be better, but you're going to have heartburn from hell."

Elise slammed her glass down on the table and glared at Nate. "We should've just gone to the hospital cafeteria."

Nate snorted. "Hospital food is crap and you know it. Besides, we're just across the street. He's FINE, Elise."

Elise glared again, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

"OK, maybe "fine" was a poor choice of words...but he's being taken care of and he's GOING to be fine. Now me? If I don't make sure you're taking care of yourself, Brodi's going to kick my ass. Think of it as self-preservation for me if it makes you feel any better about it."

Elise had to laugh in spite of herself. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Brodi's big, but he doesn't fight."

"Doesn't mean he can't."

"And you outweigh him by probably 10 pounds."

"It's my thick head. Now finish that last slice and we'll go back and check on him. Keep your vigil while you can, because as soon as he can talk worth a damn, he's going to send your cute little ass home to rest."

Elise ate the last two bites of the pizza, and they stood and started making their way back across the street to the hospital. When the sliding doors opened to the main entrance, they should've left the cold behind them, but Elise felt like the chill had followed her inside. And she felt downright icy when she saw that Rahzel was waiting for them in the main lobby.

As he approached them, he was trying to keep a calm facade, but Elise knew worry on the man's face when she saw it. She looked at Nate, who shrugged, then back to Rahzel.

"Hey guys. Want to step in here with me for a few minutes?" He pointed to one of the smaller waiting areas.

"No offense, Rahz, but Nate has kept me out of Brodi's room long enough. Someone needs to be with him."

"Elise," he rested his hand on her shoulder in a fatherly fashion. Crap, what was going on? "You can't go upstairs right now."

Elise jerked her shoulder away from Rahzel's hand. "Why not? Cut the crap, Rahz. What's going on? I've told you guys I'm FINE. Now cut this alphamale crap and let me go!"

"That's not the reason, Elise..."

This time Nate stepped in. "Just out with it, Rahzel. You're driving us crazy, and Elise is going to have an aneurysm if you don't just spit it out."

"Brodi had a problem while you guys were gone. He's back in surgery."

Elise caught a sharp breath. "What do you mean, back in surgery? What the hell happened"

"He went into cardiac arrest...and he stopped breathing altogether. They're working on him now."

"NO!" Elise shouted, looking from Rahzel to Nate. "We were only gone for 30 minutes. He was awake when we left. He was TALKING, Rahzel. TALKING. He gave Nate a thumb's up."

She kept backing up, but hit Nate's arm as he stretched it out to support her.

"Elise, let's go sit down in here until they come to talk to us."

Elise turned viciously on Nate, slapping him and beating her fists on his chest. "DAMN YOU. WHY did you make me leave him? WHY? I should have been in there, I shouldn't have left him, I..I.."

Nate let her beat into him, then wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as she stopped yelling and broke down into sobs. Then he and Rahzel started gently guiding her into the seating area, where Nate sat down and took her into his lap, holding her like a child while she drained herself of tears.

Rahzel sat beside Nate and leaned into his forearms, resting his weight on his knees. When her sobs were down to little more than hiccups and gasps of breath, Rahzel started to speak again.

"Elise, it wouldn't have mattered if you were in there. No one knows what happened yet, but it wouldn't have made any difference if you were in there or not."

Elise rubbed her palm clumsily against her eyes, then rested her head on Nate's shoulder. "How do you know that? I don't know that."

"Because *I* was in there, and I know he got help immediately. I don't know why it happened. I just know that none of us could have prevented it." He looked down for a moment, then back up at his two companions. "I knew Nate would be here to check on you, so I came in in case he needed help talking you into getting something to eat, or rest, or whatever it is you needed. Brodi was awake, so I hung out with him for a little while. He seemed OK, was just drifting in and out of sleep. A nurse came in doing her rounds, checked him over, checked the machines, and gave him his next dose of medication through his IV. She left, and within five minutes all hell was breaking loose. He grabbed for the bedrail, so I moved in closer to him. He grabbed my hand and was trying to say something, but then he passed out and the machines started going nuts. A medical team shows up, I got kicked out, and now we're waiting. End of story."

"What was he given?" Nate asked hoarsely. "Pain medicine? The antibiotics should have already been in the banana bag."

"I don't know." Rahzel admitted. "His nurse wasn't very talkative when she was in there, and the rest of it happened so fast; I'm sure if he had an allergic reaction to something his doctors will find out."

"Brodi's not allergic to anything." Elise said curtly.

"Brodi doesn't TAKE anything, either, Elise, so it's possible that there was something he didn't know about." Rahzel said. He looked about ready to say something else when the waiting room door opened and one of Brodi's surgeons walked in. They all stood up immediately.

"Dr. Adams." Elise began. "How is he?"

The doctor cleared his throat, and Elise reached to squeeze Nate's hand. It seemed like years before the doctor answered.

"He's stable for now." He began finally. "I'm keeping him on a respirator for a little while, for a day or two at least. There was no damage to his heart that we could find, so for now we're working under the assumption that it was his breathing problems that stressed his heart too much."

"Assumption?"

"He's in the ICU, so he'll be monitored constantly. I've also placed him in a medically-induced coma—now, just relax. It's not as scary as it sounds. He's just heavily sedated. It'll keep him from fighting the respirator. It'll also help slow down the brain swelling."

Elise sat down suddenly. "Brain swelling?"

The good doctor nodded. "From his concussion. It's not extreme yet, and maybe if we keep him sedated for a day or two it'll stop. We're going to be monitoring it, Ms. Riggs. He's not in any danger."

Elise buried her head in her hands. "You'll forgive me if I don't jump for joy, doctor. He went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. That doesn't exactly inspire me to relax." She looked up suddenly. "Can we see him?"

"No more than two at a time, preferably only one at a time, and for short periods. 10,15 minutes max."

Elise nodded blankly, but it was Rahzel who said, "Thank you, doctor. For everything."

Dr. Adams nodded. "He's getting very good care. I assure you the nurses in the ICU are the best. Please let me know if you need anything."

As the doctor took his leave, Elise deflated even more. Nate sat down beside her and rested a hand on her knee, and Rahzel stood in front of her.

"Elise? Are you up for seeing him?"

Elise nodded. "I have to. I need to."

"OK, you want me or Nate to go with you?"

"I, uhm..I'd rather go alone, if that's all right."

Nate brought his hand up to her shoulder. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Elise smiled grimly and brought her hand up over his. "I'll be OK. He's still Brodi, right?"

She looked up at Rahzel, who looked away. Then she looked at Nate.

"OK. I'll say just this. I don't care WHAT that doctor says. When you go in there, you talk to him. You hold his hand, you talk to him. Coma, no coma, he will hear you. You understand?"

Elise nodded at Nate, then, taking a deep breath, stood up.

"We'll be right here, sweetheart," Rahzel said as she reached the door. She looked back and nodded, then headed out to the ICU.


	8. Chapter 8

Elise took a deep breath and made her way down the hall to the ICU. She stopped at the desk just outside the doors and waited.

"Yes, can I help you?" The woman behind the desk was a very stylish looking 50-ish type thing with a pleasant smile that was probably meant to put people at ease. It didn't really work for Elise, though.

"I'm here to see Brodi Ford? He was just brought here from surgery, and his doctor said we could come in and see him."

The woman hit a few keystrokes with her manicured nails and waited for her computer screen to change.

"Mr. Ford. Yes, he should be settled in. Have a seat, honey, and I'll ask a nurse to come out and get you."

Elise was disappointed that she wasn't allowed immediately back, but she smiled and nodded and took her seat. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was in reality probably only a few moments, the doors opened and a tall, slender woman in hospital scrubs approached her.

"You're waiting to see Mr. Ford?"

Elise nodded and stood to shake the young woman's hand. "Yes. I'm Elise Riggs."

"Nice to meet you Miss Riggs. I'm Robin, and I'm taking care of Mr. Ford on this shift. Hopefully he won't be here long enough for you to get to know too many of us."

Elise nodded again. "I have to say I agree with you. But please, call me Elise. And you can call him Brodi. He hates formality."

Robin smiled and motioned for Elise to follow her towards the doors.

"Have you ever visited someone in an ICU before, Miss---Elise?"

"No, I've been fortunate on that front."

Robin smiled. "Well, I just want to prepare you, because it might be a bit of a shock if you've never been in here before. None of our patients are in closed in rooms. They're more like wide closets with no doors. I hate to describe it like that, but that's kind of what it looks like. There are curtains you can pull for privacy. There's a central nursing station where we can monitor everyone at once--we call it the fishbowl, except we're doing the looking, not the other way around. It's noisy, too, with all the machinery. You were told that Mr...ah, Brodi is on a respirator?"

"Yes, we were told about that."

"It's taped to hold it in place, so it looks scary, but it's really just breathing for him right now until he gets stronger. We have him on a heart monitor, too, and...well, why don't we just go on in? It'll be easier to explain if I can point to the stuff and tell you what it is."

Elise followed Robin through the doors, and Robin was correct in her description. The nurse's station did look like a giant fishbowl where everything was being monitored. It was noisy, and Elise wondered briefly how any of the patients could rest in here, but then she remembered Brodi's sedation and realized the question was pointless.

They stopped just outside a pulled curtain, and Robin turned to Elise.

"Are you OK?"

"No," Elise admitted, "but I have to see him. I know he's unconscious, but I need to at least have the illusion that he knows we're here for him."

Robin smiled. "I don't think it's an illusion. I've seen enough in this place that I have to believe we know what's going on at some level even if we seem unaware. Are you ready?"

Elise took a deep breath and nodded, and Robin pulled back the curtain and lead her in. The room really was kind of like a long closet, with only the bed, the machinery, and one chair. The bed was in the center of the room, head up against the wall, and Brodi looked pale and fragile in the midst of all the tubing and beeping machinery.

Robin rested her hand on Elise's arm and guided her towards the bed. Brodi's eyes were closed, most of his face obscured by the respirator and the tape holding it in place. He was attached to a heart monitor, and a blood pressure cuff rested on his upper arm.

"That inflates every 15 minutes," Robin was explaining, "so we can keep track of how his blood pressure is doing. The clip on his finger is measuring oxygen saturation in his blood. He still has the chest tube, although I think that can come out tomorrow if he remains stable enough and the oxygen percentage stays high enough. And the IV...antibiotics, because he'll be more prone to pneumonia for a while, painkillers and sedatives. That's mainly for his comfort...and to keep him from fighting the respirator and tubes. We're keeping a close eye on him, Elise. I promise you."

"I don't doubt that in the least. I just wish it wasn't necessary."

"Hopefully soon it won't be. I'll leave you alone with him for a few minutes...but I won't be far if you need me. You can talk to him, hold his hand. Don't be afraid to touch him, OK?

Elise nodded again as the nurse gave her shoulder a squeeze and left, pulling the curtain shut behind her as she went. Then, she was alone with Brodi.


	9. Chapter 9

Left alone with Brodi, Elise stood gripping the bed rails for support for a moment. He looked pale, fragile, weak…basically as un-Brodi as he could possibly get. She was stunned momentarily, but then not knowing how long she would be left alone with him, she spurred herself on. She had to make the most of her time with him.

"Get hold of yourself, Riggs," she muttered to herself. Nate's words ran through her head. Talk to him. He would hear her if she talked to him. The knowledge that talking might do some good helped her overcome the feeling of silliness of having one-sided conversation.

She reached down and gripped his hand after she was sure she wouldn't impede an IV line or any stray wires.

"Hey sweetie," she began as she leaned over the rail. "You know, if you didn't like your room, you could've just said something. There must have been an easier way to go about getting moved. This was a little extreme, don't you think?"

She felt a tear coming. So much for trying to keep it light.

"Rahzel and Nate are here; I don't think anyone else knows yet. Well, about your latest mishap. I think everyone knows about the spill you took by now. Most of them waited in one of the lobbies until I told them to go home. Even Psymon, if you can believe that. Mac is turning on the charm to comfort Kaori, so you might have done them a favor there. And Moby and Zoe are being their usual selves. As for Eddie? No one has seen him since you left in the ambulance, but I think Atomika is working on that front. If nothing else maybe Seeiah will drag him out and get him a drink or something. Me? I'm not leaving this hospital until you're out of the woods, so you might as well cut the crap right now, OK? You know how girly I am about my showers and makeup."

Elise pulled over a chair and leaned forward, resting her head on her folded arms, one hand still gently holding onto Brodi's fingers. She was just staring at him, counting his every breath, trying not to think that it might not be happening if not for the machine he was attached to. She had almost counted herself into a sleep when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Ri...Elise?"

Elise looked up at the nurse who had brought her in, the woman's bright smile unable to hide the grimness of her job. "Hi, Robin. Is it time already?"  
Robin nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. You have two others waiting to see him, right? It really shouldn't be anyone but family at this point."  
Elise nodded and rubbed her eyes. "His parents are hundreds of miles away...we're trying to get them here. But for the time being, we are his family. He has no one but us. Besides, I have power of attorney, so I guess that gives me an "in"."  
"Oh, I didn't mean to indicate...I was just stating the hospital rules. We limit visitors to limit the possibility of his coming into contact with a virus or something. In his condition, his body really can't fight off anything else right now."  
Elise looked over at Brodi, and nodded. "For now, it's just going to be me, Rahzel and Nate. We'll keep the others notified. And hopefully by the time we get his parents up here, things won't look as grim."

"I'm sure they won't. His oxygen levels look good...we'll see what the doctor says during next rounds. I'll wait for the next person, if you'll send them back."  
Elise stood and leaned over Brodi's bed once more. "See you later, sweetie. I meant what I said...I'm not going anywhere."  
She leaned in and kissed his forehead, squeezed his hand, and walked out with the nurse.


	10. Chapter 10

Nate and Rahzel looked up as Elise walked back into the room.

"You OK, Princess?" Nate asked as he stood to greet her.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I don't know what to do, Nate. I NEVER don't know what to do."

Nate took her arm and guided her to a chair. "Well, what did you do when you were in with him?"

"Held his hand. Talked to him. Counted every breath, held my breath every time it seemed like the heart monitor might have the slightest hesitation…" She looked over at Nate, who had taken the seat beside her, then over at Rahzel, who was sitting across from her holding his head in his hands. She started tearing up. Damn it, she HATED crying in front of people. But, since these two had already seen her melt down once today, she saw no reason to pretend she wasn't emotional.

"He's so pale, he's not moving, there's so much machinery, so many tubes, so many wires. He can't go. He's not ready. I'M not ready to let him go. I can't…"

She stopped short when Nate rested his hand on her knee.

"He's not going anywhere yet, Elise. And as far as what we do-we keep visiting him, keep talking to him, just like you did. You ignore the machinery. You ignore everything except for him."

Elise leaned her head on Nate's shoulder for a moment, then raised her head again and looked at him.

"Oh, uhm, speaking of visiting—if you or Rahzel want to go down, his nurse will be expecting you."

Nate looked over at Rahzel. "You want to go down, Boss-man?"

Rahzel looked up. "Sorry—what?"

"Want to go next?"

Rahzel looked from Nate to Elise and back. "No—you go on. I'll sit here with Elise."

Nate nodded and looked at Elise, who patted his hand and told him to go on.

As he walked out the door, Elise leaned forward and rested a hand on Rahzel's forearm. "You OK?"

"I've never lost a boarder before."

Elise stiffened. "And you're not going to now."

Rahzel took no notice of the comment, lost in his own train of thought.

"Sure, there have been bruises, a broken bone or two, even a concussion here and there. But this…" he gestured absently towards the ICU. "I don't know how to handle this. How do I tell the others that Brodi's hanging on by a thread?"

Elise sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. Then opened them again immediately because all she saw was Brodi as he was now in the ICU.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Maybe nothing yet? Until we know more? Maybe wait until he's off the respirator and not sedated?"

"But what if…" Rahzel stopped himself short, aghast at what he had been about to say. Elise said nothing, but instead got up and walked out of the room.

Nate walked down the hall towards the ICU, not wanting to go in, but knowing he would regret it if he didn't. He kept reminding himself of the date, repeating it over and over in his head. He wasn't in Colorado. He wasn't going in to visit his mother. He wasn't…

"Dude, get hold of yourself!"

He looked around briefly; glad he was alone in the hallway because he'd spoken aloud.

"You're going to go in there and talk to him, just like you told Elise to do." He had told Elise that Brodi would hear her on some level; what he HADN'T told her was that he had to believe it, because he had to believe his mother knew he was with her before she died.

That was another thing he hadn't told Elise. His mother had died without waking up.

"Get a grip, Logan. It's a medically induced coma so his body can heal itself, not because some organic problem is shutting him down."

He approached the front desk before he changed his mind, and the woman sitting at the computer looked up and smiled.

"You're here to see Mrs. Logan?"

Nate blinked. "I'm sorry—what did you say?"

The older woman smiled again. "It's OK, honey. This is a stressful place to be; a lot of people phase out when they reach the desk. You're Mr. Logan? Ms. Riggs gave us the names of people who could be allowed in to see Mr. Ford."

Nate relaxed visibly. "Yes. I'm Nate Logan."

"I'll get Robin for you. She's expecting you and should be out to take you back in just a moment."

Nate nodded and took a seat, figuring to use the time to get a grip on his mind.

Rahzel started to go after Elise, but then thought better of it. Maybe it was best to let her go for a little while. Maybe they'd both be in a better headspace later and he could apologize to her without making both of them feel worse.

He sighed as he started to pace the room. For someone who made a good chunk of his living by speaking, he sure wasn't doing very well on that front today. He usually dealt with pressure better than this. He was used to babysitting big egos. Things like keeping the various divas in their own corners, keeping agendas going, juggling sponsors, making sure the rooming arrangements worked out so that there wasn't a throw-down before the competitions even started…all that was second nature to him. He could stare a roomful of them down, chew their asses out and send them on their way without even thinking twice about it. But look any of them in the eye and tell them that one of their own…hell, one of HIS own, might not make it through the night? Maybe Elise was right. Wait until there was more information to be had. But if he waited too long and the worst happened? No one on the team would ever forgive him. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

He went back and forth like that in his mind, changing from one position to another as often as he had to switch directions in his pacing in the small room. He kept telling himself to wait; Brodi wasn't going to die, and this would be easier if he had good news to tell everyone. But then his mind would go to that moment when Brodi's heart had stopped. The sound of that machine flatlining was something he never, EVER wanted to hear again.

Rahzel went back over the scene in his mind, trying to reassure himself that it was a fluke, perhaps a momentary weakness in Brodi's overtaxed body. But there had been no sign that something like that was about to happen. Brodi had just drifted off to sleep when a nurse had come in and woke him up while taking his vitals. She checked the machinery, made a few notes, pushed something through his IV and left. Rahzel had made a joke about Brodi purposefully injuring himself to get babied by pretty women, which had gotten a muffled chuckle from Brodi, then a groan of pain because, Rahzel was sure, laughing hurt like hell. Rahzel had then told Brodi to go back to sleep, assuring him that he didn't need entertaining and that he would gladly sit with him until Elise and Nate returned.

Then Brodi had closed his eyes, and within 5 minutes all hell broke loose. The heart monitor started screaming, and Rahzel barely had time to get out of the way when two nurses ran in and started working the emergency. Brodi's doctor was paged, more people came flying in, and Rahzel was ordered out into the hallway. And Rahzel had waited there, stricken, numb, and then watched as the doors opened again and Brodi was rushed down the hall to the elevators. Rahzel hadn't wanted to slow anyone down by asking questions, so he went to the nurse's station on that wing and asked what was going on. It was then that he had been directed to the surgery waiting area, and he had waited at the front entrance to make sure he caught Elise and Nate before they went upstairs to a room that was no doubt already being prepped for another patient.

It was hard to believe that all of that had been less than four hours ago. While Brodi had not been able to speak extensively, he had been able to say a word or two before he would get short of breath. Four hours ago the man had been awake and talking. Now everyone was just praying that he made it through the night.

So it was back and forth like that, until finally he pulled out his cell.

"Atomika? Can you meet me here at the hospital? We need to talk; we need to try to get Brodi's parents here. We'll talk about it when you get here."


	11. Chapter 11

"Elise? You can come in now."

Elise had been looking down at the floor when the door opened, so lost in thought that she hadn't even heard it open. This was an oddity, considering that Brodi was on the other side of the door, being settled into a private hospital room after being in the ICU for three days.

"Is he awake yet, Robin?"

The ICU nurse Elise had grown so fond of over the past three days had helped transport Brodi to his new room after it was deemed he was stable enough to no longer need critical care. Elise knew she had taken excellent care of Brodi, and that had earned the woman a level of respect Elise did not give to many. Robin had also been honest with her about Brodi's care and had a way of being gentle without sugarcoating the information.

It was no different now. The young woman's mouth pressed into a thin line as she shook her head. "Not yet. It could take a while for the sedation to wear off. Dr. Adams wanted him moved before he was awake, in hopes of sparing him at least that much pain. Come on in, the doctor is just finishing up."

Robin stood aside to let her in, and Elise took a deep breath and walked into the room. A young 40-ish doctor was leaning over Brodi with a stethoscope, but looked up as Elise walked in.

"Ah, Miss Riggs. We've just got him settled in; his lungs sound good, and they looked good on the x-rays we took this morning. His side is healing up nicely where we removed the chest tube; his oxygen saturation levels are stable. I think he's going to do just fine."

Elise walked over to the other side of Brodi's bed and picked up his hand before looking over at the doctor. She rested a hand on his cheek and leaned forward to kiss his forehead before looking over Dr. Adams.

"Do you have any idea when we might expect him to wake up?"

Dr. Adams shrugged. "Barbiturate comas help slow down the metabolism, so his body won't work the drugs off as quickly as they might have otherwise. Still, his vitals are strong. He handled the weaning off the ventilator well, and there are no signs of pneumonia. The oxygen cannula is just a precaution, and that will probably only be for another day or so. I'm very pleased with how he's progressed." The doctor hesitated a moment before continuing. "You can relax now, Miss Riggs."

Elise looked down at Brodi then back up at the doctor. "No offense, doc, but I'll relax when he's giving me a run for my money on the slopes again. Until then, I'm probably going to remain just a bit guarded."

Doctor Adams shrugged again, and Elise couldn't help thinking that she was going to dislocate his shoulders the next time he shrugged.

"Well, it's your blood pressure. I have a few patients to see, so I'll be in the hospital for a while yet if you need anything. Otherwise the nurses know how to get hold of me. I'll see you later, Miss Riggs."

Elise nodded in his general direction, although she was already giving Brodi her full attention and didn't really look up at him. When she did look up again, she was alone with Robin, who was doing some final checks on the machinery.

"I have to get back to my department, Elise. And don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you don't have to see me again anytime soon."

Elise smiled. "Thank you, Robin. For everything."

Robin reached across the bed and gave Elise's hand a squeeze. "He'll get good care here. And his visitors won't be as restricted here…just make sure he doesn't get overtired. Touching him is fine, but visitors should wash their hands. And, of course, if they have a cold or even THINK they're getting a cold, they shouldn't come near him. He's going to be more prone to catching things for a while."

Elise smiled grimly. "Why Robin, you make it sound like he's a newborn."

Robin laughed, then looked serious again immediately. "Well, you probably won't have to go to that extreme. He's going to be fine, Elise. He'll just need to be careful for a while." Robin looked down at her former patient and patted his shoulder. "Goodbye, Brodi. Wake up soon, and don't let me see you in my department again, OK?"

With that she walked out the door, and Elise was left alone again with her injured companion.

"Well, Brodi, it's just us again, sweetie. I'm going to sit over here and read for a while, but I'll be right here, OK? And I'll be right beside you in a second if you need me."

She held his hand to her cheek for a moment, then kissed the back of his hand and returned it gently to his side. Then she settled in to a chair in the corner so she could see immediately if he started to stir. Then, picking up her book, she read the same sentence over and over again before she finally gave up on concentrating on anything but Brodi. She sighed to herself, resigned to watching him sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Elise came to regret that feeling of resignation on the first day that Brodi was out of the ICU. For the next two weeks, it was much the same. Instead of waking up like expected, his sleep continued. Day in, day out, Elise kept a constant vigil, holding his hand, talking to him, at times even pleading with him to wake up. There was a constant parade of hospital staff; nurses checking his vital signs and administering IV medications every two hours, his doctor, nursing assistants, practically everyone but the gift shop staff. No, scratch that. Someone from the gift shop had been there too, to deliver flowers.

Countless tests had been done. Doctor Adams had administered what he said was a barbiturate antidote, but it had no effect. MRIs, CAT scans, and X-Rays had all been done, but none of them gave any kind of clues as to what might be going on inside that brain of his to keep him unconscious this long. And so the unending parade continued; nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, specialists, each with their own job to do, but none able to come up with a solution or even a reason for Brodi's state.

Still Elise stayed on, refusing to leave. She showered in the room's bathroom after Kaori had brought her some fresh clothes. Even then the girl had pleaded with her to leave for a while. She hadn't pressed too much, knowing Elise's temper. Looking back, however, Elise realized she should have realized Kaori wouldn't give up so easily.

It had all come to a head when Kaori came into the room just before lunch.

"Miss Elise?"

Elise had been busy massaging Brodi's arms and hands to help prevent muscle atrophy, and hadn't heard the door open. Nonetheless, she tried to hide the fact that she was startled when she looked up and found the small teenager standing across from her.

"Oh, hi, Kaori. How are you?"

"I am fine, Miss Elise. I am sorry to disturb you, but Rahzel and Atomika have called a meeting, and I was sent to tell you."

Elise sighed. "Kaori, they know I'm not going to leave the hospital."

Kaori nodded. "Yes. That is why it's been arranged in one of the waiting rooms. The rest of the team has already arrived."

Elise let another sigh escape. "Oh, all right. Brodi, I'm going with Kaori for a little while, sweetie. I'll be back soon."

When Elise saw the puzzled look on Kaori's face, she explained. "Nate says to talk to him. Actually, one of the nurses from the ICU told me this too."

Kaori wiped a tear from her left eye. "But is he not…unconscious?"

Elise walked around to the other side of the bed and took Brodi's hand and placed it in Kaori's. The girl stiffened in fright at first, then relaxed when she realized his hand felt normal.

"It's OK, Kaori. You can touch him. It won't hurt him. In fact, it might even help him. I think, on some level, he knows we're here with him."

"Truly?"

"Truly. Now come on, let's get this over with. Be back soon, Brodi."

The two women walked out the door and down the hall towards the waiting room, covering the entire way in silence. Elise was sure that Kaori, full of her own worries and concerns about their fallen teammate, was contemplating what they had talked about in Brodi's room. Elise herself was feeling anxiety about being away from Brodi, trying not to think about the LAST time someone had talked her into leaving him alone. She knew it was a useless fear; the past didn't predict the future, and there was no magical touch to her being in Brodi's room that would keep him from further harm.

Fortunately they reached the waiting room before Elise had too much time to contemplate being out of the room, and Elise walked in to a room full of boarders. Almost in unison the entire group grew silent and turned as the door opened and Elise and Kaori entered the room. Kaori quickly moved over near Mac and sat down, and Elise was left standing in the doorway. So, she did what she always did when she felt awkward. She put on her model's smile.

"Hey guys. What's up?"

Atomika walked over and hugged Elise. "Hey doll. How's our boy?"

"Still not awake, but holding his own. You know, his visitors are no longer restricted…as long as there aren't too many of us in the room, any of you can go down and see him. So far, Nate and Rahzel have been the only ones to come visit him."

Atomika nodded and squeezed her hand. Elise noticed that no one else would look at her, and for some reason that made her more sad than angry, although she was certainly angry enough. What kind of foolishness was this?

Rahzel spoke up. "That's kind of what we wanted to talk to you about, honey. Why don't you come over here and sit down so we can talk."

"Guys, I don't have TIME for this. What's going on?"

Another awkward silence ensued, and Elise looked around the room at her teammates, willing them to look at her. Kaori seemed to be studying something on the floor, while Mac was patting her back and mumbling something to her. Nate looked at her, but smiled grimly. Luther and JP just slumped in their chairs, apparently pissed off that Brodi had been so inconsiderate as to slip into a coma and require a team meeting. Zoe was leaning forward in her chair, elbows on her knees, one foot twitching wildly as she also found something fascinating to study on the floor. Moby was doing pretty much the same thing; apparently he had tried the comfort maneuver with Zoe and had been given the cold shoulder. Marisol was leaning against a wall, arms crossed in front of her and scowling at something, while Seeiah was leaning against one of the windows staring out into the parking lot. Eddie was typing away furiously on his laptop, and Psymon was, well, Psymon. He didn't deal with hospitals well as either a patient or a visitor, and was so far occupying himself by pacing back and forth in front of the windows. Elise wondered who had to promise him what just to get him to come to the waiting room.

"OK, if no one has anything to say, I'm heading back up the hall. You know where I'll be if…"

"We'll take shifts sitting with him for a couple of days if you'll just go home and get some rest."

Elise swung around and glared at Atomika.

"WHAT did you say?"

"You need to rest, lady. If you're worried about him waking up with no one with him, we'll take turns sitting with him. But if you keep this up, you're going to wind up a patient here yourself. You don't have to take care of him all by yourself."

"*I* don't _have_ to do anything. What I am doing is sitting with a friend who has been seriously injured. In case you all have forgotten, I have durable power of attorney for Brodi, and that means that his medical care is MY responsibility if he's incapacitated. Well, if any of you were wondering about the definition of incapacitated, I'd say being unconscious for two and a half weeks qualifies, wouldn't you? Now, you're all welcome to come visit him as much as you'd like. But he's trusted me with his life, and I need to honor that."

Elise spun on her heels and headed for the door. Rahzel was standing by the door and put out a hand to her.

"Elise…"

"Get out of my way, Rahzel. This meeting is over."

Rahzel was about to say something else when suddenly Psymon came out of his walking trance and stalked over to stand between Elise and Rahzel.

"The lady asked you to move, 'Zel. Let her go."

"Psymon, stay out of this. Go talk to your tattoo or something."

Elise reached her boiling point at this.

"CHILDREN, please. Rahzel, go screw yourself. Psymon, I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you. Now, if you'll ALL excuse me, I'm leaving."

Elise shoved her way past Rahzel and stormed out the door. As she headed back down to Brodi's room, she forced herself to stop just outside his door and take a few deep breaths before going in. No need to subject him to her anger; Brodi was so sensitive to energy that Elise didn't doubt for one moment that he could pick up on something as strong as what she was feeling right now.

None of her teammates had been dumb enough to follow her, so after a couple of deep breaths she stepped inside Brodi's room and shut the door.

"Hey honey." She said brightly as she walked over to the bed. She was getting frighteningly used to having these one-sided conversations. "See, I told you I wouldn't be gone long. Now, where were we? I think I had just finished with your right arm. Why don't I start on the left? I'll have to be a bit more careful with this one, since that's the one your IV is attached to. Maybe I'll just work on your hand on this side, OK?"

And on and on the conversation went. She'd talk to him, tell him what she was doing while she was massaging his hands. She was about to pick up a book and start reading to him when there was a knock at the door.

"Unless you're medical staff, I suggest you leave." Elise stated simply as the door opened. She didn't even bother to look around from where she was seated.

"It's just me, sugar."

Elise flopped her head back on the chair and let out a frustrated sigh. "Seeiah, I thought I made it clear that…"

"I'm not here to make you leave, honey."

Seeiah walked around into Elise's line of sight and set down a duffel bag and a small paper bag. Then, before she said anything else to Elise, she walked over to Brodi's bed and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"Hi baby, how you doin'?" She asked as she rested her fingertips on his cheek. "You've given us all a scare, honey. How 'bout you come on back to us, OK? You are loved, babydoll. We want you back."

Seeiah then turned to Elise. "So how are YOU doing, girl?"

"I'm fine."

Seeiah tilted her head and studied her for a moment. "Mmm-hmmm, I can see that." She picked up the paper bag and handed it to Elise. "A couple of apples, a banana, and a club sandwich from the café across the street. Oh, and, hang on a sec…" she knelt down and opened the duffle bag and pulled out a water bottle. "This has got a built-in water filter in the top, so you can fill it with tap water without having to worry about what kind of swill is in the city water. I've already washed it for you so it's ready to use."

Elise took the bag and the water bottle and looked up at Seeiah, stunned. "Thank you, Seeiah. I…I don't know what else to say."

"You don't have to say anything, girl. Thank you is enough. I know you're not going to leave the hospital for a while, so I thought I'd bring you some stuff to make you more comfortable. I hope you don't mind, but Kaori let me into your room to grab some of your clothes for you, as well as your body wash, shampoo and conditioner, makeup bag, toothbrush. I also went into Brodi's room and grabbed his mala and a couple of his books. Kaori said that Nate told you to talk to him, so I figured maybe if you read him some of his own books…maybe it's silly…and I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive."

Elise stood and hugged Seeiah so suddenly that it took Seeiah a moment to register what was happening and to react by putting her arms around the other woman.

"No, it's not intrusive. And it's not silly. Thank you for being so understanding of why I need to stay here. And for being so thoughtful."

Seeiah pulled back and gripped Elise by the shoulders. "Sugar, you know that family means the world to me. And when a family member is in need, you do what you need to do regardless of what anyone else thinks. Just don't be too hard on the other guys, honey. They're worried about Brodi, but they're worried about you too. When you're traveling together as much as we do, you have to become one another's family. You do what you need to do. And you let me or Nate or Eddie know if you need anything, and we'll take care of that. OK, baby?"

Elise hugged Seeiah again, just relieved that someone understood.

"Now, why don't you let me sit with Brodi here while you take that duffle bag and go take a long hot shower. You'll feel like a new woman."

Elise gratefully picked up the duffle bag and headed off to the shower, confident that she could take a few minutes to herself knowing that Brodi was with someone who cared deeply about him.


	13. Chapter 13

Elise was beginning to despair as two weeks turned into three. Still, Seeiah, Nate, and Eddie were true to their word. Seeiah and Nate brought her food and company on several occasions, and neither would accept any money to pay for what they would bring her. Eddie used his own talents to create a video montage of Brodi's friends talking to him and spliced that with footage of some of Brodi's best races, interviews, and even a birthday party or two. Eddie would come in with his laptop every day and play it in the background while sitting with Elise.

Elise was so deeply hanging on to the idea that all of this was somehow helping Brodi that when Rahzel and Atomika approached her again about leaving the hospital, she agreed to leave for 24 hours as long as someone was staying with Brodi. And stay away she did, although she didn't go to her own room in the lodge as promised. She went, instead, to Brodi's room. She lit his incense, showered in his shower, and finally, surrounded by the scent and energy of Brodi, she fell asleep in his bed. She fell into a deep sleep, and woke to Brodi standing by her bed smiling at her. She sat up in alarm.

"Brodi? Honey, what are you doing?"

"I'm glad you're here. You needed the rest."

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have left the hospital. Rahzel is there, he would have called me if you'd asked him when you woke up."

"You don't always know who to trust. I'm glad I trust you. You'll know what to do."

"Do about what? Sweetie, what are you talking about?"

Suddenly there was a shrill sound, and Elise woke with a start as she realized her cell phone alarm going off. She grabbed her purse from the foot of the bed and threw her phone across the room.

"Brodi?"

She looked around, puzzled, then started crying as she realized it had just been a dream. She felt a mixture of sadness and relief. During the dream, she was so alarmed that Brodi was out of the hospital that it didn't occur to her sleeping mind that he wouldn't have been able to walk so soon even if he'd woken up, so she was relieved that he was still safe in the hospital. However, the fact that it was a dream meant that he hadn't woken up yet, and that brought a crushing sadness. Just as suddenly as she had begun crying, she stopped crying and got dressed. Promise or no promise, she was going back to that hospital and God help anyone who tried to get her to leave again.

It was with this attitude that she charged back into the hospital. She had her hand on the door handle of Brodi's room when she heard someone calling her name. Annoyed, she whirled around into the face of Doctor Adams.

"Miss Riggs, may I speak to you a moment?"

"Doctor Adams, of course. Can I just step inside to check on Brodi for a moment? I went home for a few hours. I'm sure he's fine, or my friends would have called me, but I'd like to…"

"That's what I'd like to talk to you about, actually. Would you mind following me to a consultation room?"

That's what I'd like to talk to you about. That was the second time in two days Elise had heard that phrase, and the first time hadn't ended so well. Elise felt her heart in her throat, but she nodded anyway and followed the doctor down the hall to one of the consultation rooms. It was a small, simple room, meant to be cozy or so Elise supposed. Right now it felt more claustrophobic than anything else. A few chairs were arranged around a small square coffee table, and Elise chose the one closest to the door. The good doctor sat down opposite her and pulled out his PDA.

"Do you have any news on Brodi's condition?"

The doctor looked at her sorrowfully and Elise suddenly got a chill before he even spoke.


	14. Chapter 14

"You want us to do WHAT?"

Elise could not believe what she was hearing.

"It's just a professional observation, Miss Riggs. There has been no change in his condition, and we can find no reason for it. And frankly, the longer he goes without waking up…"

"Wait a minute…when he was in the ICU you were talking about the coma promoting healing."

"And it does, in the case of brain injury such as Mr. Ford's it can limit brain swelling. It helps prevent movement in cases where limitation of movement is necessary without placing undue stress on the patient. But Miss Riggs, there comes a point where…"

"No. I'm not giving permission to turn off life support. I will not sign his death warrant. That is a decision his parents will have to make."

"Miss Riggs, you have power of attorney. The decision will have to come from you."

Elise stood, willing herself to keep her temper in check. "And I am saying no. I have power of attorney because I travel with Brodi and am more immediately accessible in case of an emergency. He trusts me with his life, and right now I am choosing to honor that trust by saying no. Are we clear?"

The doctor sighed and looked at his PDA and back again at Elise. "Yes, we are clear. But please consider what I said. You need to not only honor his life, but his quality of life."

Elise turned to leave. "I have considered what you said, doctor," she said without looking back. "You have my phone number if you need it."

She left without waiting for a reply. Two steps outside the consultation room, she clicked her M-Comm. "Rahzel. We need to talk. NOW."

Elise stopped outside Brodi's room and took a deep breath before going inside. She was still fuming from what Dr. Adams had said to her. She could NOT give up on a friend, regardless of the circumstances.

Still, stepping into the room it was hard not to fall victim to the doctor's way of thinking.

"He's still Brodi," she told herself. "Just talk to him."

The one-sided conversations no longer felt odd to her. Within a few days, when it became apparent that he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, she had talked to him enough that she could almost hear his answers.

"Hi, sweetie," she began, walking to his bedside and taking his hand. "I just talked to your doctor. You're doing OK, baby. Uhm, I'm going to talk to Rahzel in a few minutes. We're going to see about getting your mom here. I know it's an expensive trip, but we'll see about getting the circuit to chip in. If nothing else, Nate and I will organize the…Brodi?"

Elise stopped short. Had Brodi squeezed her hand? She couldn't be sure…it was very faint.

"Brodi, sweetheart, can you do that again?"

She waited anxiously, watching his face, praying to see his eyelids flutter—anything. But there was nothing. Undeterred, she squeezed his hand and leaned down next to his ear.

"It's OK, honey. We are NOT giving up on you, do you hear me?"

She kissed his forehead, then his fingertips and gently placed his hand back at his side.

"I'm going to go see Rahzel. I'll let you know what we work out."

Rahzel looked up as Elise walked into the fourth floor waiting room.

"Riggs! I got your message. How is our boy?"

Elise collapsed into the chair beside him. Though she had just had several hours of sleep in Brodi's room, she was exhausted in all sense of the word. DAMNED if she was going to cry, though.

"He squeezed my hand."

"What? That's great, Elise. That's the first sign we've had since…"

"We need to get his parents here."

"You know we're working on that."

"No. We need them here NOW. Dr. Adams wants to pull the plug."

"But you just said…"

"I know." Elise buried her head in her hands. "I know I felt it, but I asked him to do it again and he didn't respond. What if I imagined it, out of pure hope?"

"Elise, he's been unconscious for three weeks. Maybe it was just a momentary thing and he went right back out again. I've heard that people in comas wake up in stages. Maybe he's getting better."

"Damn it, Rahzel, I have power of attorney. Brodi trusts me with his life. I want to do what's best for him, but Dr. Adams says there is no hope, and that I should consider his quality of life, not just life itself. Is it selfish to keep him hanging on if there really is no hope?"

Rahzel placed his arm around Elise and pulled her head onto his shoulder. "Honey, Brodi trusts you. You said it yourself. He wouldn't put you in this position if he didn't believe you could handle it and do what's best. What do you believe?"

"I believe that…I can't give him up. I can't sign his death warrant. It can't be beyond hope."

Rahzel sighed again and, placing his hands on his knees, pushed himself up. "Then it's settled. I'll call a team meeting. Should it be here? Or at the lodge and I'll fill you in?"

"Fill me in. If there is a possibility that he's waking up…I want to be here."

Rahzel nodded. "Just…do me a favor, honey. Take care of yourself. You look like hell. I don't want to lose two of my best boarders."

Elise stood abruptly. "You haven't lost anyone yet." She said angrily.

"I didn't mean that and you know it."

Elise didn't answer, but stalked out of the waiting room and back towards Brodi's room. Then, forcing herself to calm down before entering the room, she pushed the door open. Finally sure of herself, she stepped inside.

"I'm back, babe," she began, and stepped forward to the bed before she found herself waiting for a reply that wasn't coming. She took his hand and leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

"Wherever you are, sweetie," she whispered as she rested her forehead on his, "we need you to come back to us. Please, find your way back."

Elise stood and wiped a tear from her eyes. "And you'd better not tell anyone you saw a tear in my eyes. I have a reputation to protect."

She gave him one last kiss, then went and sat down in one of the chairs. She wished she could block out the beeping machinery, but that was a lost cause. Somehow, though, it moved to the background and she found herself drifting off.

All the hospital sounds—the beeping machines, the carts moving in the hallway, people being paged—faded to the background. She felt like she was just getting into a reasonable state of relaxation when something jarred her awake. Unsure of what it was at first, she instinctively looked to Brodi. Nothing seemed to have changed, but she stood to check on him anyway.

"Miss Elise, I am so sorry to have awakened you."

Elise looked around to see Kaori standing in the doorway. The teenager was wide-eyed and looking uncertain, so Elise smiled at her and beckoned her in.

"It's OK, Kaori. Come in."

"I don't want to disturb…"

"Come on. Did you just come from the meeting? Is that what's bothering you? Come in, hon, he doesn't look scary. I promise you."

Kaori timidly made her way over, and Elise took her hand and guided her to Brodi's bedside. Still seeing her uncertain, she lifted Brodi's hand and placed it in Kaori's.

"I told you it was OK to touch him, remember? You won't hurt him."

Kaori held Brodi's hand in one of hers, and placed her other hand over his. She slowly began moving her thumb back and forth over his hand, and the motion seemed to relax her.

"See? You can't hurt him. In fact," Elise gave the younger woman's shoulder a squeeze, then leaned forward and kissed Brodi's forehead, "Nate says that Brodi can probably hear us, and feel our touch, so it probably helps him to have friends around." She turned back to Brodi, resting a hand on top of his head. "You can hear us, can't you, baby? And I bet you even know Kaori is holding your hand."

Kaori's eyes grew wide, and she gasped.

"What is it, Kaori?"

"I am not sure. I thought…but I must be mistaken."

Elise felt her heart jump into her throat, and she barely contained her grin. "He squeezed your hand, didn't he?"

Kaori nodded. "Yes. Very faint, almost not there at all…but then he must be very weak."

"I KNEW I couldn't have imagined it! That's why we HAVE to get his parents here!"

"Oh! I nearly forgot!" She looked down at Brodi's hand in hers. "That's what I came here to tell you. We had a team meeting. When my father learned of the difficulty in getting Brodi's parents here, he offered to buy them tickets. He purchased emergency tickets, and their flight arrives in the morning. Nate will pick them up."

"That's wonderful! And very generous of your father."

Kaori looked down shyly.

"Brodi has been like a brother to me…helping me, teaching me, protecting me. It is not something that has gone unnoticed by my father, and it is not something he takes lightly. My father views Brodi as an honorable man."

Elise smiled. "Did you hear that, Brodi? You're an honorable man."

"Will he wake up, Elise?"  
With that one question, Elise's smile disappeared. "I hope so, Kaori." She stopped a moment to steady her voice. "I think the hand squeezes are a good sign. He was kept in a coma on purpose for a few days, but he can't seem to wake up. Maybe his body just needs more time to heal."

"We were told at the meeting that his doctor…"

"I won't let that happen, Kaori." Elise said curtly. Then, more softly, she began again, "Neither will his parents. Right now he's being given nutrition and being kept hydrated through the feeding tube and the IV. His heart and lungs are stable, but if there is trouble we'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, the only way any of this stops, until he wakes up, is if I say so. And that is NOT going to happen. So don't worry about that one, Baby Girl."


	15. Chapter 15

Nate found the right gate and checked flight times. There didn't seem to be any delays, so he knew the Fords' flight should be arriving soon. He hoped that Brodi looked like at least one of his parents; otherwise he'd never find them.

He needn't have worried. When the plane arrived and the passengers started deplaning, he was immediately struck by a tall, slender woman wearing a long peasant skirt and a heavy sweater, her long blonde locks falling in spirals around her face. With her was a tall, goateed man with thinning red hair, dressed in faded blue jeans and a wildly colored sweater. So that was the genetic combination that produced the likes of Brodi Ford, he thought.

The couple was looking around quizzically as Nate approached.

"Mr. And Mrs. Ford?"

The woman turned her head towards him. "Yes?"

Nate stuck out his hand in greeting. "I'm Nate Logan—a friend and teammate of your son's. Shall we pick up your luggage at the baggage claim then head to the lodge?"

"Oh, we only have our carry-ons. Sort of packed in a hurry, I'm afraid. Oh, I'm Kurt, and this is my wife, Patricia."

Nate shook hands with both of them. "OK. Then if you'll follow me to the car. Or, if you're hungry, we can stop somewhere for breakfast…"

Patricia Ford held up her hand, about a dozen bangle bracelets jingling as they slid back on her arm. "You're very kind, Nate. But would you mind taking us to our son? We're anxious to see him."

Nate nodded. "Of course. Follow me."

Nate made his way through the crowd, past the security gates, towards Elise's car. He had borrowed it to fetch the Fords; since he didn't know what to expect, he didn't want to show up in his pickup truck and wind up with elderly people who couldn't climb in. He should have known that anyone as athletic as Brodi would have at least one reasonably athletic parent.

The three of them piled into the sedan and buckled up. There was silence as Nate backed the car out of its spot and made his way out of the parking garage. Once they were on the freeway, the dreaded question came up.

"So how is Brodi?"

Nate glanced over at Kurt, then in the rearview mirror at Patricia, who had asked the question.

"How much do you know?"

Patricia sighed. "Only that he was injured and was placed in a protective coma. No more. Rahzel and Elise have given us updates, but I think they've been careful with what they're saying."

Nate nodded and started to speak when Kurt interrupted. "Please do us the favor of being honest. We're going to see him soon enough. If we know ahead of time it will be less of a shock when we see him."

"I understand, sir. Yes, he was placed in a protective coma—it helps reduce brain swelling in head injuries and keeps the patient from fighting things like IV's and feeding tubes. Brodi," Nate stopped and cleared his throat. It was not going to help anyone if he got emotional. "Your son did have a head injury, but that's not what caused the biggest problems. He also broke two ribs, and one of them punctured a lung. His doctors fixed that with a chest tube, but he came down with a bacterial form of pneumonia and was in the ICU on a ventilator for a few days." Nate glanced at Kurt, who was staring stoically ahead, and glanced in the rearview mirror. Patricia was staring straight ahead as well, but her eyes were damp with tears.

"I'm sorry—I was an Army Corpsman. Sometimes I get into too much detail."

"No, no. We asked you to be honest." Kurt replied. "My son is lucky to have you as a friend."

"I think we're the lucky ones, sir, but thank you."

"What will my son look like?"

Nate winced at the pain in Patricia's voice.

"He's still your Brodi, ma'am. He's off the ventilator. He is on oxygen as a precaution, he has an IV and a feeding tube, and there is an epidural catheter that threads a sensor into his spine so that his spinal fluid and intra-cranial pressure can be monitored. Beyond that, he just looks like he's asleep. You want my advice? You ignore all that. It'll be hard, but you ignore all that, and focus on him."

Patricia nodded. "There's more you want to say, son. Go on."

"Well, uhm. You should know that his doctor thinks we should just let Brodi go, that there is no hope of him getting better."

"But his heart is beating on its own and he's breathing on his own at this point, right?"

Nate looked to Kurt and then again in the rearview mirror, and sighed heavily. "Yes, ma'am. And the brain scans appear normal—just asleep. No one seems to know why he hasn't responded."

"No!"

"Kurt, please. It's not his fault."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Sorry, Nate. That wasn't directed at you. But I will not allow my son to be starved to death."

"We won't allow that to happen, sir. Elise has power of attorney for Brodi, and she is demanding that treatment and life support be continued."

They rode in silence for a while until the car pulled off the highway and into the hospital parking lot. Nate parked the car, and as he released his seatbelt, he turned to his friend's father.

"We love him, too, sir. And we will do whatever needs to be done to support you and him."

This time it was Nate who felt his eyes getting wet, and he left the car quickly without another word.

Elise walked down to the waiting room to meet Brodi's parents. Nate had come to Brodi's room to fetch her when they had arrived, and had merely asked her to come down to the waiting room to meet them. He hadn't given any other information.

Still, Elise knew Brodi's mother in an instant. The woman had Brodi's eyes, and was every bit the hippie that Brodi had described to her in the past, from her blonde spiral curls down to the bottom of her long flowing skirts.

"Mrs. Ford!" Elise greeted as she walked into the room. "I'm Elise Riggs. I'm so glad you're here."

Mrs. Ford threw out her arms and gave Elise a huge hug, much to Elise's shock. She caught Nate grinning and shot him a look before Mrs. Ford released her.

"Elise, my darling girl. We've been told how you've been advocating for our son. Please, call me Trish. And this is my husband Kurt, Brodi's father."

Elise stuck her hand out to shake Kurt's before he could decide to hug her, and he fortunately took the hint.

"Pleased to meet both of you. Brodi's room is 422, just down the hall. They'll only allow two of us in at a time. I'll wait here for you."

Kurt stepped forward and took one of Elise's hands. "Thank you for all you've done for our son."

"Thank you, sir, but it's nothing he wouldn't do for any of us. You raised him well. I don't think there's a kinder soul on the planet."

Elise watched them walk towards Brodi's room, then turned to Nate.

"Well, THAT was interesting."

Nate laughed.

"You hit the nail on the head there. But, in retrospect, it makes sense. What other kind of people could produce something like Brodi? They'd have to be a LITTLE bit quirky." Nate gave Elise's shoulder a squeeze. "Come on, you must be tired. Let's go get a cup of coffee and see if the cafeteria is serving breakfast yet."

"Shouldn't we…"

"Elise, you need to eat. Do you think Brodi is going to be happy to find out you haven't taken care of yourself in this mess? Besides, you need to rest, too. I know you're going to want to be with him when he wakes up."

Elise folded her arms around herself and looked out the window. "Do you think he's going to wake up?"

"I don't know." He admitted softly. "But people have been in comas for longer periods of time than this and come out of it. Besides, Brodi was in fantastic shape before his accident…he has that in his favor. And all that yogic breathing and meditation he does have probably made this easier on him than it would have been."

Elise sighed as Nate came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "I've always been so sure of myself, Nate. Confident—maybe overly so at times. Someone I care about has literally placed his life in my hands. I need to know I'm making the right decision…for him, not for me."

"You are."

Nate and Elise turned around to see Kurt Ford standing at the entrance to the waiting room.

"You are making the right decision. My wife wants you to go down to Brodi's room, Elise. She needs to ask you something."

Elise looked at Nate, surprised, not daring to hope. She saw the same look in Nate's eyes. Elise had to force herself to walk, not run, to the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Elise once again paused at the door and took a deep breath before entering the room. When she entered she saw an unusual picture. Brodi's mother hand pulled the rail down on one side and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding Brodi's hand in her lap with one hand, the other caressing his face and smoothing back his hair. At the same time she was singing to Brodi in a language Elise didn't understand.

Elise cleared her throat. "Mrs. Fo…uh, Trish?"

"It's called the Gayatri mantra," Trish answered the unspoken question without taking her eyes off of her son. "Very ancient song. I used to sing it to Brodi when he was a baby." Finally she turned and smiled at Elise. "Even when he got older, I would sing it to him if he was sick or upset."

The older woman smiled again and beckoned to Elise. "Come on over here, sweetheart."

Elise walked over to the opposite side of Brodi's bed and took his other hand. She felt Trish's gaze on her as she carried out her own little ritual of leaning forward and kissing Brodi's forehead, whispering hello in his ear.

"I'm glad to see someone talking to him. I think it keeps him anchored here."

Elise smiled grimly and looked from Brodi back to his mother. "Nate told us on day one that he would hear us. The nurses in the ICU pretty much said the same thing, although they won't say it around the doctors."

Trish nodded. "Nate seems to be a good man with a good heart. I'm glad my son has friends like the two of you."

"I think we're the lucky ones."

Trish laughed. "Nate said the same thing." Then, her expression grew more serious. "Honey, do you know why he's still being sedated?"

"What?"

"My son is heavily sedated. Nate explained the reason behind keeping him out at first." Trish looked back to her son, touching his temple with the back of her fingers in a sweetly tender gesture. "But I was under the impression that the sedation had been stopped."

Elise looked from Brodi to his mother and back again. "It has stopped. I mean, it is supposed to have stopped. We've been told that his lack of response is an organic problem and not chemical. What have I missed? I'm confused."

Trish held her hand up. "It's OK, honey. Don't blame yourself." She got up and walked around the bed, putting her arm around the younger woman. "I see you haven't warned your friend about what kind of family you come from, my darling boy." She returned her attention to Elise. "Brodi wasn't raised a Zen Buddhist. We taught him to be aware, to study, to find his own path. His father takes a rather eclectic approach to life, while I tend to focus on Dianic Wicca. I'm also fairly adept at energy perception." Trish smiled and returned to her perch on Brodi's bedside. "My son, as you know, is full of life. He's very vibrant and gregarious, and his aura tends to be very strong. Not so much right now, though, and it is not merely because he's unconscious. Something is very, very wrong here." Again she sighed, looking at her son, then to Elise. "It's hard to explain how I know, and I'm sure it sounds positively insane to you."

Elise shook her head. "Doesn't matter what I think. All I need to know is that you're his mother. I know you're a close family, and I'm sure you know him better than any of us could ever hope to. If you say something is out of place, then we need to look for what is out of place."

Trish smiled. "I see why my son likes you so much. You're secure enough to allow for differing opinions, and you're not afraid of what you don't understand."

Elise probably would have blushed at the comment, but she was already trying to figure out whom to talk to about finding out exactly what was flowing through that IV.

Almost as if she was reading Elise's thoughts, Trish offered, "I don't think it will do any good to talk to anyone, dear. I've been trying to figure it out. There was a nurse in here on rounds while you were gone, and she wasn't very forthcoming with information."

Elise nodded.

"Can the IV be removed without hurting him?"

Elise shuddered. "I wouldn't do it. Maybe Nate; if we tell him what we think is going on."

Trish nodded. "Yes, he did say he was an army corpsman. Will he help us?"

Elise shrugged then looked at Brodi and rested a hand on his head. "I'll talk to him. If someone is deliberately placing Brodi in harm's way, he'll do what needs to be done."

Trish nodded again. "Then it's settled. Shall we go talk to Kurt and Nate?"

Elise took a glance at Brodi and squeezed his hand. "OK, Brodi. Wish us luck. We'll be back in a few minutes."


	17. Chapter 17

By the time the two women had walked to the waiting room, Elise had actually hatched a better plan. After the finer details had been nailed down, Elise looked to her fellow conspirators.

"OK, are we all clear on what's going to happen?"

Everyone nodded silently.

"OK. You guys head down to Brodi's room. I'll go ask to have Dr. Adams paged, then I'll join you."

Patricia Ford walked into her son's room followed by the two men. She had a lump in her throat, but silently swallowed it down. The emotion she could use later. Right now she needed to focus. She started rummaging through her bag as the men flanked both sides of the bed.

"Yo, Bro!" she heard Nate saying. "Come on, buddy, you're down but you're not out. Isn't that what you're always saying?"

"You're not alone, son. We're here for you. We just need you to come back to us."

Trish thought she heard her husband choking up when he finished that last statement.

"Here, honey, see if you get a response from this."

Her husband took the small jar and opened it.

"He hasn't responded to stimuli, even noxious." Nate said.

"It's a mixture of camphor and menthol." Trish explained. "Strong smell. May not help, can't hurt. Well, unless we get it in his eyes. Put just a very little bit on his temples, Kurt, to help clear the clouds from his mind."

Kurt nodded and did so. In the meantime, Trish had walked over beside Nate. She took her son's hand and turned it palm up, bending his ring and middle fingers to touch his thumb.

"Honey, can you hold his fingers just like this? His index and little fingers can stay where they are."

"Uhm—sure." Nate looked momentarily stunned, but he let Trish take his hand and place it over Brodi's.

Trish walked back around to Brodi's left side, her son's father moving to give her room by his head.

"Now, let's see if we can regain some sort of balance here. Nate, honey, just keep his hand like that. Now, we just need Elise…"

"Here I am!" Elise burst through the door. "Doc Adams is supposed to be here within the hour."

"Good, good. Now here is what I need you to do, sweetheart. This might be more comfortable for you if you sit on the bed and hold his legs in your lap. Please just bear with me—it's going to sound strange." She waited for Elise to get on the bed and slide her legs under Brodi's, then walked down to where she sat. "Keep his legs covered with the blanket. This will work through cloth, and it's best we keep him warm. I want you to hold his feet, with your fingertips at the center of the ball of his foot, your thumb on top. Yes, just like that."

"Trish…"

"Just humor me, Nate. Elise and I have come to an understanding. If it helps, just remind yourself that I'm a crazy New Age witch from California."

Nate laughed in spite of himself.

"Uhm, Trish…I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing."

"It's OK, Elise. Think of it like jump-starting a car. I've been trained in Jin Shin Jyutsu. You don't really have to do anything other than what you're doing right now. Your body knows what it's doing, even if you don't. Do you feel a pulsing?"

Elise nodded.

"Good. Now for the circle."

This time it was Kurt who laughed at the confused look on Nate's face. "Son, I learned a long time ago it's usually best to just go with the flow. When a woman says something you're not sure about, as long as it's not illegal and doesn't hurt anyone, just go with it."

"What is going on in here?"

Everyone turned around at the sound of the angry voice.

"Dr. Adams. Thank you for joining us so quickly."

Elise slid off the bed and rose to meet the doctor.

"Miss Riggs, why are there so many people in this room? You know that only two people at a time…"

"Can be in a room at a time. It's a rule designed to protect the patient from getting overly stimulated or overly tired, to facilitate healing and recovery, and to give the medical staff room to work. However, since he is expected to die, you can hardly deny his family and friends the right to say goodbye, now, can you?"

"Elise…" Nate warned.

"It's OK, Nate. Doctor, we have been discussing Brodi's condition. These are his parents, Kurt and Patricia Ford."

The doctor seemed to pale slightly at the introduction, but recovered by the time Kurt and Trish had stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Mr. And Mrs. Ford. I am so sorry for your loss."

Kurt reddened. "Doctor, I understand that you feel that death is imminent, but please do us the kindness of saving the condolences until our son is actually gone."

"Of course. I meant no offense."

Elise cleared her throat.

"Doctor Adams. We want you to remove the feeding tube. And the IV."

Dr. Adams walked over to his patient and checked the heart and oxygen monitors.

"Dr. Adams, did you hear what I just said?"

"I did. I know we discussed this at length, but I need to be sure you understand the implications. He won't wake up, so he won't suffer, but, Miss Riggs, it won't be quick. It may take a few days."

Elise swallowed hard, but nodded. She glanced at Trish, who gave her a look of reassurance. Dear God, if only she had that much confidence that this was going to work.

"I understand. But I think we all feel that this is the best course of action."

"Well, you do have power of attorney. I'll get the papers ready to sign. If you change your mind…"

"We won't."

"Nonetheless, you can change your mind at any time until the papers are signed."

Elise nodded.

"I'll be back when the papers are ready. Mr. And Mrs. Ford, it was nice to meet you. I'm sorry it wasn't under better circumstances."

Trish grabbed her husband's hand in warning as the doctor left the room.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. Elise looked around at her companions. She had held her calm with the doctor, but the unflappable Elise was definitely shaken.

Nate didn't look much better, but then he had enough medical training to know the potential implications of what they were about to do.

Trish walked up to Elise and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's hard to see now, honey, but Brodi will be all right. He'll wake up once the drugs are out of his system. You'll see."

Elise looked over her shoulder at the smaller woman, but said nothing. Trish smiled grimly then went to Brodi's bedside. She took his hand between her two and began singing to him once more.

Without warning, Elise's throat grew hot and she bolted for the bathroom. She made it to the toilet, spitting what was in her throat but then getting nothing but dry heaves since she hadn't eaten anything in recent memory. She then collapsed in a heap of sobs, her body convulsing with grief that she had been holding back. Slowly the sobs subsided, coming in small hiccups of sound. She became aware of Brodi's mother singing, and her first thought was that she was glad her breakdown had gone unnoticed. Then she realized that her head was resting in someone's lap and the singing was coming from above her.

She shot upright suddenly, but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked around to Trish's smiling face. "Easy, child. You're OK."

Elise rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand, and Trish stood and handed her a damp washcloth.

"I, uh…"

"No need to explain, dear. We all need to do it from time to time. I'll give you a few minutes alone. I made Nate and Kurt stay out to give you some privacy, so I'll go join them. You just take your time and come out when you're ready, OK?"

Elise sat on the floor for a moment or two after Trish left and closed the door behind her. Then, standing up, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, mentally focusing on her breath while she calmed herself. Then, taking one more deep breath, she walked back out into the room, almost knocking over a woman who was walking in the door at the same moment.

"Oh—excuse me."

"No problem. Uh, you are…"

"Oh—I'm Tanya from administration. I have some papers for Elise Riggs to sign.

Elise motioned for the woman to come into the room. Taking the clipboard, the read over the papers—basically forms saying she couldn't sue the hospital for removing life support. She signed the forms, found the DNR and signed it, and handed it back to the woman with her driver's license so that her identity could be verified.

While Elise was reading and signing papers, Dr. Adams walked in.

"Do you have any questions, Miss Riggs?"

"None."

"OK, then if you'll all clear the room, I'll get a nurse to assist…"

"We're not leaving."

"Sir…Mr. Ford…"

"Dr. Adams, do you have children?"

"I have two, but…"

"Could you leave them alone, even for a moment, if they were in the same spot?"

The doctor sighed. "OK. But please stay on the far side of the room." He turned and pushed the nurse call button, then put on a pair of gloves.

Soon a nurse came in with a cart of supplies. The doctor gave them a sorrowful look as he opened a blue paper sheet and placed it across Brodi's chest. The nurse gloved up and stood on the opposite side of the bed. She gently placed a hand under Brodi's neck and with her other hand turned his head towards her. She worked off the tape that held the tubing in place, then the nurse readied a towel while the doctor grasped the tube. He looked at the intruders of this operation and said, "This may not be pretty," then began to pull.

The tube came out in one smooth motion. Brodi's gag reflex came into play and he coughed. Nate had to hold Elise back.

"Just relax," he whispered.

The IV came out easier—at least, it was easier to watch. Elise looked over at Brodi's parents. His father looked on vigilantly, protectively, seeming ready to intervene if necessary. Brodi's mother was quietly chanting to herself, her eyes closed.

Finally the doctor removed his gloves and tossed them in the biohazard container.

"Well, that's it, I'm afraid. We'll leave the heart monitor attached for now; it might give us some sort of time gauge. Again, I am sorry about the circumstances. Please let me know if you need anything. In the meantime, Linda here will give you the chaplain's information when she's finished cleaning up."

Elise glanced at the nurse, a pretty young thing who had a tender touch about her. She had quickly but softly wiped Brodi's mouth with the towel when he had coughed as the feeding tube came out. She had taken care to clean and compress the entry site for the IV, and she was now efficiently cleaning up the refuse. When she finished with that, she gently covered Brodi and adjusted the pillow under his head.

Elise walked past the doctor as he was on his way out and touched the arm of the nurse. "Thank you," she said quietly. The nurse nodded and went back to her patient.

Elise turned to Trish. "So…what now?"

"We'll get to work as soon as the room clears."

They didn't have to wait long. Linda-the-nurse finished her ministrations and left just as quietly as she had come in.

The four of them took their places at the bedside, with Brodi's mother reminding them of hand positions as needed. Then, Trish got down to business. She smiled at Nate first, with the reminder, "Just humor the crazy Californian, honey."

She then reached into her bag and pulled out a compass, a bell, a small sprig from a spruce tree, a small container of salt, and a small jar of water. "From the Pacific Ocean," she explained. She laid the items out on the bedside table when she suddenly looked up at Elise. "Where is his mala?"

"Oh, uhm…lessee…my purse. Over on the counter by the sink. Should be right on top."

Trish found the small bag and retrieved the beads. She held them a moment between her hands, kissed them, and then closed Brodi's left hand around them. Next, she checked her compass to orient herself in the room.

Walking to the north corner of the room, she placed some of the salt in an empty container and set it down on the floor.

"Guardians of the Watchtower of the North, guardians of earth, we bid you hail and welcome."

Nate stole a confused glance at Elise, but held his tongue. If Trish noticed, she gave no clue. She walked over by Nate and, standing on his left, rang the bell in her hand.

"Guardians of the Watchtower of the East, guardians of air, we bid you hail and welcome."

She did the same with the unlit candle in the South, and the West with a container of the ocean water.

Elise wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the air seemed to get heavier as she completed her circle. She was used to Brodi's Buddhism, had many conversations with him about how he had been raised to look at everything and find what called to him. But this…she had no frame of reference for this, nor did she have any means of understanding what happened next.

"I call forth and respectfully ask for an audience:

Demeter, great mother, I ask that you help bring back and heal my son. You know my mother's pain.

Brigid, great protector of mothers and children: my son is no longer a child, but he is my child. Lend me your healing fire.

Raphael, archangel, lord of healing, lend us your healing emerald light."

Trish looked at her son, and gently laid her right hand on the top of his head.

"Brodi, honey, we've been able to get the drugs stopped, if that's what's holding you back. You're going to feel me touching you, but it's just Mom, OK? Your father and I are here. Elise is here. Nate is here. No one is going to hurt you. We want you back, sweetheart, and we're trying to clear the way for you."

As Elise watched Trish, who seemed to have grown a couple of inches since this entire thing began, she felt a tear come to her eyes and was nearly overwhelmed by the pain emanating from the woman. That, combined with her own fear and uncertainty, was almost more than she could handle. But she would do it for Brodi; she had to. She didn't care at this point whether or not she believed in what Brodi's mother was doing. She had to believe that she was doing the right thing, that whether it come about because he had been drugged and they had managed to stop it, or because of some desperate prayers set into archaic symbols by a grieving mother, Brodi was going to wake up.

Elise forced these thoughts out of her mind as Trish grew silent and closed her eyes. Trish kept her right hand on Brodi's crown, and placed her left fingers between Brodi's brows. Elise could only guess at what Trish was waiting for, but she seemed to have found it, because she suddenly smiled and said, "Ah, yes. There we are." She did the same with the tip of his nose, and in another few minutes his sternum, followed by his solar plexus. After working her way through what Elise supposed was the alignment of charkas, she opened her eyes and looked back down at her son.

"OK, sweetheart. You rest and let your body do the work. We won't be far."

She did a reversal of what she had done in the beginning to open the circle, saying goodbye to the various archetypal figures she had called and thanking them for their service. Kurt Ford hugged his wife. "Well done, my dear. You still have a beautiful touch."

Trish smiled, but said, "We'll see how well it works."

Kurt pointed out that the biohazard bag attached to his catheter seemed to be draining a little faster.

"True," Trish stated. "It'll take his body a while to work off whatever they were sedating him with."

Finally Nate spoke. "We'll find out. Elise has requisitioned his records, and I have spoken privately with someone I trust at this hospital. She's going to check for any missing drugs that may not be on his official orders."

Elise shook her head. "Why would someone want to hurt him? He doesn't KNOW anyone who works at this hospital."

Nate shrugged. "Misguided Angel of Death? Speaking in, ah, human terms, of course, not ethereal." He winked at Trish as he said this. "And it may not be about Brodi at all. Maybe just window of opportunity. Whatever the reason, we'll find it."

Elise sank down into a chair. Holy cow, was she exhausted. And Trish? Trish looked about ten years older.

Nate seemed to notice, too. "Hey guys, it's about dinner time. How about I spring for food? Seriously…my treat. There's a pizza joint right across the street, we wouldn't have to go far."

Elise held up a hand. "Not me, guys. I couldn't move a step. Besides, someone should stay with Brodi. I don't want him waking up alone."

"Elise," Nate began, but he didn't get far.

"I'm not. Going. Got it?"

Nate waved her off in defeat. "OK, OK. I'll bring you back something. Kurt? Trish?"

Trish looked at Elise. "Are you sure, dear?"

Elise nodded. "Go on. We'll be fine. I'll call you if he so much as moves a pinkie finger."

Trish smiled. "OK, then. We won't be gone long and we'll bring you back something."

"Come on folks. I need to introduce you Californians to an East Coast pizza."

Elise had to smile in spite of herself as they walked out the door. She knew some crazy people. And she was proud of that fact.


	18. Chapter 18

Elise settled back into her chair as she heard the three heading to the elevators. She picked up one of Brodi's books from Seeiah's duffel. She read aloud, partially because she was just used to it at this point out of a need for Brodi to know he wasn't alone, and partially because she was desperate to stay awake.

It didn't really help. About five minutes into her reading, she felt herself starting to drift off. The book fell into her lap and she was just getting to the floaty feeling before sleep when she heard the door opening.

"OK, Nate," she said without turning around, "you better have forgotten something, because I told you I'm not…"

Her words were cut short by a hand jerking her out of the chair and slamming her against a wall by her throat. When she overcame the shock, she saw Psymon's face leering up at her.

"Hi, Bombshell. Kill anyone lately?"

Elise grabbed at Psymon's wrists in a panic, but thanks to his dead nerve endings it did no good. She moved to Plan B, trying to claw her fingers under his to break his iron hold.

"Psy—Psymon. What the…hell…are you…doing?"

"He trusts you with his life, and you shut it down?"

"Psymon. Let…let go."

She finally managed a kick that surprised him enough to drop her. She collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"I never figured you for this. Everyone has heard that you signed the papers."

Elise wheezed a couple more times, then pulled herself up by the back of the chair that somehow had not been knocked over.

"What the HELL are you talking about? Get your story straight before you attack next time, Sketchy. Look at Brodi. Does he LOOK dead to you?"

"No. Not yet. Death by starvation takes a while, bitch."

Elise bristled. "You are SO going to regret that comment."

Psymon took another step towards Elise when he froze.

"Guys." It was hoarse, raspy, barely audible, but they both heard it that time.

Elise nearly mowed Psymon down getting to Brodi.

"Brodi? Oh my God, sweetie…"

Elise took Brodi's hand and leaned down to kiss him. Then she rested her forehead on his and gently placed a hand on his temple.

"Don't try to talk, honey. You were intubated for a while, and it just came out today, so your throat is still healing. Besides, you need to save your strength. What, baby?"

She lifted her head up, a shocked look on her face. She nodded to Psymon, who had moved to the other side of the bed. "He wants to talk to you."

Psymon bent low over Brodi, then let out a howl of laughter. "You know something, Zen, I'm feeling like you've been through enough I just might let you do it when you're back on your feet. Although I have to say it's not very Zen-like."

"What? What did he say?"

"He's going to kick my ass if I ever touch you again."

Elise couldn't help but smirk. "Now, children."

As the words left her mouth, she remembered Brodi's mother. She grabbed her phone.

"Nate? Get that pizza to go. No, no. Everything's fine. Just…trust me. Get back over here."

Her next action was to send a global message saying, "Zen's awake."—but Psymon stopped her.

"Already done, while you were on the phone."

Elise sat on the bed and took Brodi's hand. "God is it good to see those blue eyes open again. You scared us to death, sweetie."

"Wh…why? I don't under…"

"Bombshell was right when she told you not to talk, Zen. Those tubes are a bitch if they've been in a while."

"Shhh…just rest, baby. You've been out of circulation for almost a month. Besides, we don't want you passing out from exhaustion before someone else gets to see you."

"Month?"

Elise was about to shush him again when she heard the door open.

"Brodi? Hot damn, kid, it's about time you woke up." Nate stuck his head back out the door and motioned for Brodi's parents to follow.

Elise squeezed Brodi's hand. "Honey, we've brought someone here who really wants to see you."

Before Elise had a chance to move, Trish started singing to her son as she approached. Brodi's eyes opened wide in shock.

Elise backed up to where Nate was standing so she could give Brodi's parents room.

"Wanted to check out the sitch before bringing them in," Nate whispered. "Has a doctor seen him yet?"

"Uhm, no. I've got a creepy feeling about his doctor. I wanted to check with your friend first to see who we can trust."

"OK, I'll get on it. Someone should take a look at him fairly quickly."

Nate slipped out into the hall, already punching numbers in his phone.

Elise took a last glance at Brodi and his parents. His mother had pulled him upright and was hugging him profusely; his father alternating between hugging them both and admonishing his wife to be gentle.

"Psymon, let's go and give them…"

When Elise turned around, Psymon was nowhere to be found in the room. She shrugged, realizing she was talking to herself, and left quietly.


	19. Chapter 19

Trish Ford gently eased her son back onto the bed and held his face in her hands as she kissed his forehead.

"M..Mom. Don't cry."

"It's OK, baby. These are happy tears."

Brodi tried to blink the fog away. He felt like he'd run a peak-to-valley by himself in record time. The haze was slowly lifting, but it didn't change the fact that he felt like hell.

His parents were here. He didn't remember them saying they were coming to visit. But then, he was in a hospital, apparently, so he was trying to get his head around how that had happened. The event was still hiding somewhere in the drug haze, though.

"What are you thinking about, honey?"

"Trish, the boy doesn't need to talk right now, hon. We need to give him time to adjust to being awake, to shake the drugs off.

Brodi turned his head towards his father, though he immediately regretted the movement.

"It…it's OK, Dad."

Kurt put a hand on his son's shoulder. "We don't want you overdoing it, kiddo. Small steps."

"Your father is right, son. I'm sorry. It's just hard to not be excited, when you haven't been awake in so long. Isn't that right, Elise?"

Trish looked around in surprise when there was no answer.

"That's funny. I didn't hear anyone leave. That young lady of yours is quite a woman, hon. From what everyone tells us, she hasn't left your side.

"My…"

"Why, Elise, sweetie."

Brodi was trying to formulate a suitable response to that when there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Ford? I am Dr. Brennen. I've been asked to check you over."


	20. Chapter 20

Elise went to find Nate the instant she left Brodi's room. She found him just inside the waiting room, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Any luck?"

"Actually, yes. The friend I have here is a neurosurgeon; I knew her in the army. She knows about Brodi's situation and says she will see him. She was actually just about to leave work, so she's headed down from her office right now."

Elise visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Nate. I just have a bad feeling about Dr. Adams for some reason and I wasn't looking forward to letting him get hold of Brodi again."

Nate nodded his agreement. "Me either. Hey, what's that?"

Before Elise could respond, Nate stalked over to her and gripped her chin in a gentle but firm grasp and moved her head left and right. "Where's that bruising coming from."

Elise hesitated as Nate released her chin and looked her directly in the eyes. She had been so elated about Brodi she'd forgotten about the incident with Psymon. Ironically, she wasn't angry with Psymon over his actions; she was strangely relieved that he cared enough about anyone to behave in such a protective way over them. He might have some maniacal and antisocial habits, but he'd never been violent, at least to her knowledge. Still, Nate wouldn't take the news well. It was bad enough that Brodi had woken up in the middle of the disagreement (although, on the other hand, she realized that had probably saved her from further harm.)

The hesitation was enough time for Nate to put two and two together, and Elise saw that he had figured it out on his own by the way his face hardened.

"The only other person in the room when we got back was Psymon. What did he do? Where is he?"

"Nate, it's OK. Really, it's not that bad, and he was just upset about Brodi. Besides, I gave him a couple of kicks he won't forget anytime soon."

"I don't care. I'll bust him up for this one. Where. Is. He?"

"NATE!"

Saved by the bell, this time in the form of a beautiful redhead in hospital scrubs walking towards them. Crisis momentarily diverted, although Elise was sure he wouldn't drop it that easily.

"Nate Logan! I can't believe you've been coming to visit your friend for this length of time and we haven't run into each other! How are ya, hon?"

Nate smiled as he gave his friend a hug.

"Jennie! I'm good, how have you been? This is my friend and teammate, Elise Riggs. Elise, this is Jennie Brenner."

The woman turned and smiled at Elise, extending her hand in greeting. "Miss Riggs! How nice to meet you."

Elise returned the smile and shook hands. "Dr. Brenner. Thank you for agreeing to look at our friend."

"Always happy to help. Nate and I go way back, and I know him well enough to trust his judgment. If something's not right, something's not right. I looked at his file when Nate called me a few days ago. He was unconscious for three weeks? I saw the MRIs, the CAT scans, the X-rays. No blood tests were done after he recovered from the pneumonia?"

Elise shook her head. "None that were run by me, anyway. And I'd have to approve any type of medical treatment if he's incapacitated."

"I'd say coma counts as incapacitated. Let's go talk to Mr. Ford, shall we?"


	21. Chapter 21

The three of them walked down to Brodi's room together, Elise feeling slightly jealous as the two old friends chit-chatted about old times.

Dr. Brenner went in first. In hindsight, Elise realized that either she or Nate should have gone in first. However, none of them thought anything of it. Until Dr. Brenner introduced herself, that is.

"No. No one from this hospital is touching my son again."

"Mrs. Ford, I understand your distrust, but please, he needs to be looked at."

"I said no. Please leave."

"Mom…"

Elise stepped forward.

"Trish, it's OK. Dr. Brenner is an old friend of Nate's. Nate asked her to help us out. We can trust her." Elise took another step forward and held out her hand to the anxious mother. "Come on. Stand over here with me. We won't leave the room; we'll watch the entire exam. She's not going to hurt him."

"Please, Trish. Brodi will get stronger and more alert as the drugs leave his system, but we need to find out if that's all this was. Jennie… Dr. Brenner can help us find out what happened to him. She'll make sure he's really out of the woods."

Trish looked from her son to Elise to Nate. Brodi nodded at his mother.

"It's OK, Mom," Brodi whispered. "I'm OK."

Finally she relented and moved to stand by Elise. Dr. Brenner wasted no time in moving in and sitting on the side of Brodi's bed before the woman changed her mind again.

"OK, honey, let me see if I can't figure out what happened to you. Do you mind if I raise the head of your bed just a little? It'll make this easier on both of us."

Brodi shook his head, so she hit the switch to raise the head of his bed.

"All right then. I know you've been through a lot, so I don't want to put you through more tests than you need. If you get tired, just let me know and we'll stop for a while, agreed?"

Brodi nodded.

"We'll start with a basic neurological exam. I know your throat hurts, so just answer as plainly as you can."

The battery of questions was simple, but let her know his current mental status. What is your name? What is your mother's name? Where are you? What year is it? Who is the American president? Then came the physical coordination part. Close your eyes. Open your eyes. Raise your right hand. Your left. Sharp object on the fingertips…do you feel that? On the arms? How about the legs? Feet?

Finally Dr. Brenner smiled and laid a hand on her patient's shoulder. "That's all I have to do right now, honey. The heart monitor looks good, and you were able to talk to me without getting breathless. Your eyes dilated fine and they're tracking together, and you don't seem to have lost any sensation anywhere. Are you in any pain? I can order something for you."

Brodi shook his head, and Dr. Brenner looked doubtful. "Don't suffer unnecessarily, Brodi. I can give you something that won't make you sleepy."

Again Brodi shook his head. Dr. Brenner looked around at Nate. "He's as stubborn as you are, isn't he?"

She looked back to her patient and winked. "Well, then, if you're sure. I'm going to order some blood tests, so I'm going to get a phlebotomist up here. I'll order a followup MRI in the morning. Now, if I have that catheter removed, do you think you can walk to the bathroom?"

"With help, yes." He whispered.

Dr. Brenner smiled. "Very good. I'll call a nurse in here to help me. If that is successful, and barring the MRI doesn't find anything unusual tomorrow morning, I see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to go home tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you."

Dr. Brenner took one of Brodi's hands as she stood. "All right, then, Mr. Brodi Ford, it has been an honor to meet you. I'm going to make sure you are well taken care of. Let me go ahead and call a nurse. While we're waiting, I'm going to borrow Nate for a few minutes."

Nate followed Jennie into the hall, far enough away from the door to prevent being overheard.

"What's up, Jenn?"

Jenn whirled around angrily. "That man in there—your friend—shows no sign of an organic problem. I see no evidence of neurological disorder, disease, injury. After you called me, I looked over the tests run when he was admitted. He had evidence of a concussion, but nothing that should have rendered him comatose for three weeks. That boy lost three weeks of his life, and I can't find a suitable reason for it."

She sighed and looked at her friend. "I'm going to run the blood tests like I said. I'll do a tox screen on his blood and on the waste in the drainage bag from his catheter. After the MRI in the morning, you can take him home provided nothing is out of the ordinary."

"I can tell you that any drugs, any chemicals you find in his system were introduced in this hospital. Brodi doesn't take so much as aspirin." Nate rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jennie, we appreciate you even looking at this. I don't even want to think about what kind of trouble you could get into for hijacking another doctor's patient. Believe me, at this point, Brodi's alive, and he's awake. No one is going to be disappointed with any help you can offer."

Jennie Brenner smiled. "Well, then, let's go back and see if the nurse has arrived, and I'll remove that last little bit of nuisance for him."

__________________

Brodi sat bolt upright, gasping for breath.

"It's OK, honey. You're OK. You just fell asleep."

Elise hurried over with a cool washcloth and gently mopped up beads of sweat from his forehead and neck.

"Elise?"

"I'm right here, baby. You must've been dreaming, huh?" Elise handed him a plastic cup of water. "Nate finally convinced your parents to go get some sleep. He took them to the lodge a couple of hours ago. Rahzel had a room ready for them."

Brodi finished off the water, and, handing the cup back to Elise, dropped back down on the bed.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"When are you going to get some sleep?"

Elise smiled as she leaned over the bed rail and picked up his hand. "Last I checked, babydoll, you are the one in the hospital bed, not me. Don't you worry about me, sweetie." She teasingly tousled his hair as she brushed some of it off of his forehead. "I'm fine. Now go back to sleep. You're going to get shuffled around some more tomorrow before you're released. You need to rest."

Brodi looked at her sadly and sighed.

"Go on to sleep, sweetie. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. No one is getting near you tonight, I promise. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

She leaned forward to kiss him when the sound of the door opening caused her to whirl around.

"Nate! Holy cow—what are you doing back here?"

"Have you turned on the TV?"

Nate stepped into the room and closed the door.

"No. We were just talking. What's going on?"

Nate walked over to the other side of the bed. "Hey, Bro. Sorry to bust in on you this late. How you feeling?"

"Uh, Nate? Hello? What's going on?"

Nate looked from Brodi to Elise. "I don't know how either of you will take this, but here goes. When the suits got wind of our boy here waking up, they held a news conference. They were going to do it tomorrow as some sort of "welcome home" event, but Rahzel managed to convince them that Brodi wasn't going to be up for more excitement than walking to his room. Well, that, and Psymon threatened to sabotage the event if they tried it—that probably helped convince them."

Elise tried to hold back a laugh. "I'm sure."

Nate sighed, and Brodi put a hand on his wrist. "OK, there's more. Out with it."

Nate looked down and patted Brodi's hand. "Well, hotshot, you might already have guessed this, but you weren't in a coma because of your boarding accident. Jennie says there is no medical reason why you should've been out as long as you were. You had a pretty nasty concussion, but there should have been no more than a day or so of a medically-induced coma to keep down brain swelling…if that was even necessary at all. More than likely you would have just been watched. Your biggest problem wasn't your head injury, but your lungs."

Elise blinked. "But he wouldn't wake up."

"Well, here's where it gets fun. Jennie ordered blood tests and tested what came out of your catheter. There were heavy, heavy antipsychotic drugs in your system, drugs that are used for chemical restraint in patients having severe psychotic episodes. Then Rahzel gets a call from someone who had seen the news conference. Seems there is someone who thinks her dear little sister, who works as a nurse in this hospital, may have tried to kill our boy here."

"What?"

"Whoa, easy there, big guy. Just—lay back down; you're not recovering as quickly as you think you are. The police have a name and are tracking this girl down. They'll want you to identify her, Elise, since Brodi was unconscious during this time."

Elise nodded blankly and stumbled back into a chair. She heard Nate telling Brodi to stay put, then Nate was kneeling in front of her, resting a hand on hers.

"Elise? Are you all right?"

"I, uhm," she looked from Nate to Brodi, both of them looking at her anxiously. "You were being poisoned right under my nose. I thought I was keeping you safe, and I didn't notice. Your mother took one look at you and knew something was going on other than what the medical staff was telling us. I completely missed it."

"Elise, look at me." Nate tilted her chin back towards him. "We don't know what happened. The police will talk to this woman and her sister. Jennie is checking drug inventories and who had access when. Eddie is hacking away as we speak to find any information he can find on this nurse. And, if it looks like she did it, she will be charged. But, Elise, listen to me. This is very important. She is a nurse. If she was in this room, it was because she was supposed to be taking care of Brodi. You would have no reason to expect otherwise. Do you hear me?"

Elise nodded but said nothing.

"You have stood by him. You fought for him, making sure he was getting proper care. Hell, you've barely left this room. And do I NEED to remind you that it's because of you that he's awake. Honey, your courage to make that decision to sign the papers probably saved his life."

"But why? Why would someone try to hurt him?"

Nate stood and walked over to the bed where Brodi was trying to sit up, and gently pushed him back down.

"We've talked about that, honey. Angel of Death, window of opportunity? Who knows?"

"Elise, go home and go to sleep. You too, Nate. I'll be fine."

"No offense, partner, but you don't exactly look like the picture of health right now. And that girl there is more mule-headed than you are, so if you think you can get her to leave, be my guest. I'm not going to waste my energy on that. However, I will tell you this. BOTH of you just need to settle in right here and get some rest. I'LL be standing guard. And let me give you a hint: it ain't just my size that's earned me the nickname "Bull". I will win the stubbornness contest."

He was about to continue his lecture, but there was a nervous knocking at the door.

"Come in," Elise called.

They saw Eddie's 'fro peaking around the corner.

"Come on in, Eddie." Elise stated as she looked around from her chair. "Brodi's awake. You won't be disturbing anyone."

Eddie entered with this laptop case and shut the door behind him.

"Eddie, what's up, buddy?"

Eddie came forward and hi-fived Brodi. "Dude, I am SO glad you're OK. You scared the hell out of us, man."

"So I keep hearing. What's got you out so late?"

"Got some news. Hey, you're not hooked up to any machinery that might go haywire if I turn on my laptop, will you? I've got something to show you guys."

"Nope. Completely and 100% unplugged."

Eddie looked carefully at Brodi's arms and chest, as if not believing him. Seeing no stray wires or tubes protruding from him, he finally seemed satisfied and started to unpack his laptop.

"OK. I didn't want to inadvertently cause another crisis. Now, gather 'round, kids; I'll angle this thing so Brodi can see it too. Let me show you what I found."

Eddie set up his laptop and put on a show that none of them could believe.


	22. Chapter 22

It was nearly 6:30 in the morning when Elise heard the door opening. She looked over at the figure on the bed, and it for all intents and purposes appeared to be sleeping. Seeing that everything appeared normal, she sat back in the chair and waited to see who was coming in.

Doctor Adams crept to the foot of the bed, then turned to the chair. He seemed genuinely surprised to find Elise staring at him.

"Miss Riggs! I hope I didn't disturb you. I was coming in to check on our miracle boy here. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I've already reprimanded the staff for not notifying me of something of this importance."

Elise smiled. "No, you didn't disturb me. But I'm afraid I'm the one you need to be upset with. I specifically told the staff not to notify you. I've asked that another doctor be assigned to Brodi's case. For that reason, I need to ask you to step away from Brodi's bed, please."

Doctor Adams stared at her blankly for a moment. Elise thought she saw a flash of anger, but if it was there he calmed it immediately. "Of course, Miss Riggs. But you do understand that Mr. Ford's recovery was completely unexpected. Given his injuries…"

"He should've been out of the hospital weeks ago, not comatose for nearly a month."

"Perhaps his brain was a little more damaged than what we could see on the scans. At any rate, surely you don't…what exactly are you saying, Miss Riggs?"

Elise stood and moved closer to the head of the bed. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Miss Riggs, I understand that you're upset and feel the need to blame someone. However, if it is your intention to bring legal action against me, then we should not be talking."

Elise shook her head. "Has nothing to do with blame. Has everything to do with responsibility. And don't worry, I'm not going to bring a lawsuit against you. I am, however, going to have you arrested."

The doctor blinked in surprise. "Beg pardon?"

"Exactly how many cities have you worked in over the past 10 years, Doctor Adams? You must have to move frequently; after all, no one wants a doctor with a high fatality rate."

"Miss Riggs, I'm afraid this conversation is over. You may not wish to bring a lawsuit, but I may bring action against you for slander."

"Hardly slander when I have proof, my dear doctor. Five hospitals over the past ten years? That's hardly time to get a name anywhere. But maybe that was the point. I did some research."

The doctor stiffened. "I am a doctor bound to heal. I go where I'm needed most."

"You go where there's the biggest chance you can harvest some healthy organs. How much do you get paid?"

"Have you been reading too much Robin Cook?"

"You tried to induce a heart attack. I'm not sure yet what you put in the syringe that was fed through his IV, but it wasn't what the nurse on duty thought it was. He survived in spite of you…maybe because a senior surgeon was on duty and you were only seconding? Then you DRUGGED Brodi to keep him unconscious. You blackmailed a mentally unstable nurse to help you. You kept trying to convince me to turn off life support. How were you going to kill him to make it look like a natural coma-related death? He is a perfectly healthy 29 year old male in excellent shape…and he's a registered organ donor. That must have seemed like one hell of a payday to you."

Doctor Adams tried to keep a detached expression, but one of his eyes was twitching fiercely, and even in the dim light of the room Elise could see the blood vessels standing out on his neck. He took a step forward, and out of the corner of her eyes Elise saw the blanket on the bed move slightly.

"How dare you?" he spat through clenched teeth. "There are people out there who are dying every day because they need transplants and there aren't enough healthy organs to go around. So I make a decision every once in a while to make it sound hopeless to a patient's family when it might not be so clear cut. What has he done with his life anyway? He's a SNOWBOARDER, for the love of God. He makes money doing child's play. It's a waste of a healthy body. And as far as that nurse…she's not so innocent, you know. She's a mental case whose abusive father turned her into a religious nut, and she would withhold medicine from people who weren't Christian, who who weren't Christian ENOUGH in her eyes. Inject saline instead of whatever was prescribed. I found out what she was doing, and she was more than willing to help me with a donation or two as long as I kept my mouth shut. And as far as your friend here, all I really needed to do to get her cooperation on that was to point out that he's a Zen Buddhist."

"You BASTARD." Elise raised her voice to almost a yell, then quieted herself down again. "How dare you play God?"

Doctor Adams just looked at her blankly again, then tilted his head and shrugged. "Oh, that part was practically giftwrapped for me." He shoved his hand in his pocket, then came out with a syringe. "I prepared this for him, but I suppose it would work just as well for you, too. Probably better, actually, since I calibrated the dose for someone of Mr. Ford's weight. Tell me, Miss Riggs…are you an organ donor?"

Elise took a step back, bumping into the wall, as Doctor Adams started moving forward. At the same instant, the blanket moved again, and Nate sat up and leveled a .357 at the doctor.

"I really wouldn't if I were you, doc. Honestly, I'm a pretty good shot even at a distance. This close? I couldn't miss."

Dr. Adams froze, then turned to bolt for the door. The door opened before he got there and he was greeted by several armed police officers.

"Officers!" he said, trying to sound relieved. "I'm glad you're here. These people have done something with the patient that was in this room, and that one drew a weapon on me."

"Save it, Doc." Nate said, coming up behind him. "They've heard everything. We set up a wireless microphone and video system in the room, and we did an emergency evac of the rooms on either side. They've been in both rooms listening to this entire conversation."

Finally, the arrogance seemed to have left the doctor. He looked practically deflated, and as the officers turned the doctor around and started to handcuff him, Elise walked up to him and slapped him. Nate grabbed her quickly before either the doctor or the officers could respond.

"That was for Brodi." She seethed, struggling against Nate's grip on her arms. "Yours is the wasted life, doctor. Let me tell you a little about the man whose life you tried to end. Last year, he logged an average of 15 hours a month volunteering at a crisis hotline. He volunteers with Big Brother, Big Sister, and he teaches yoga classes at the battered women's shelter. He's also an environmental activist and uses the publicity he gets to bring attention to environmental issues. Now, you THINK about that the next time you look at someone and decide that they're a waste of a healthy body."

Finally Elise sagged back into Nate's arms, and the officers led the disgraced doctor out. Nate turned Elise around and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. She wasn't crying, exactly, though there were tears in her eyes and her body was quaking almost violently.

"Hey," Nate said quietly in her ear, "I think there's someone here who's going to want to see you."

Elise turned around to see Brodi slowly making his way into the room, supported on both sides by Jennie and Eddie. Elise wiped her tears and smiled as she ran to him, Eddie barely moving out of the way in time to prevent being pushed aside.

"I was wrong. He's not as stubborn as Nate. He's more stubborn. Refused a wheelchair, but he can barely stand up on his own." Jennie said, smirking at Nate.

"Hey, I've been away for three weeks. Let me get used to using my own muscles again."

Elise grinned and kissed his cheek as she and Jennie helped him back to his bed. As they got him settled in, Nate and Eddie teased him mercilessly about his futile attempts to fend off the two women.

"Most men would be thrilled to be in your position, my man," Eddie exclaimed.

"He is, Eddie," Nate answered. "You think he's REALLY trying to get them to leave him alone. I doubt he's still THAT weak."

"Eddie, stuff it and open the shades, please, so we can let some light in here. And Nate, you just stuff it."

Elise left Brodi's side for a moment and walked over to Nate to give him a big hug. "Thank you," she said softly.

"It's all right," he said. "Everything's OK now, and it's all worth it."

Elise looked over at Brodi enduring another impromptu neurological exam, a patient resignation on his face. His eyes, though, were gleaming, and he seemed to be reveling in the fact that he was alive and awake.

Yes, she thought. Everything is OK now. Everything is more than OK.


End file.
